ILLINOIS 


ILLINOIS  HISTORY  STORIES 

FOR  THE  USE  OF 

SEVENTH  AND  EIGHTH  GRADE  PUPILS 

IN  THE 

SCHOOLS  OF  ILLINOIS 


W.  H.  CAMPBELL 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE 

FIELDING  BALL  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


*ul 


Copyright,  Mabch,  1908 

BY  THE 

FIELDING    BALL    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 
Chicago,  Illinois 


CIS 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER.  PAGE 

I.     The  Physiography  of  the  State 9 

II.     The  Early  Inhabitants 22 

III.  The  Coming  of  the  French — Marquette  and 

Joliet    29 

IV.  The  Story  of  LaSalle 40 

V.     French  Occupation  of  the  Mississippi  Valley..     51 

VI.     The  Transfer  of  the  Valley  From  the  French 

to  the  English 61 

VII.     The  Northwest  Territory  Passes  to  the  United 

States — Story  by  George  Rogers  Clark ....  70 
VIII.     From   the   Revolution   to    Statehood    (1783- 

1818) — The  Fort  Dearborn  Massacre 81 

IX.     Acquiring  Title  to  the  Soil 94 

X.     The  State  Constitutions 98 

XL     Constitutional  Boundary  and  Divisions 102 

XII.     The  Capitals  of  Illinois 109 

XIII.  Evolution  of  the  Illinois  School  Law 112 

XIV.  Slavery  in  Illinois 116 

XV.     The  Black  Hawk  War 121 

XVI.  The  Mormons  in  Illinois 133 

XVII.  The  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal 140 

XVIII.  The  Advent  of  the  Railroads 145 

XIX.  State  Educational,  Charitable  and  Penal  Insti- 
tutions     149 

XX.  Some  of  the  Men  Who  Made  the  State 152 

XXI.  The  Making  of  Chicago 163 

XXII.  A  Land  Flowing  With  Milk  and  Honey 183 

XXIII.  A  Chronological  Index 188 

XXIV.  A  Word  in  Conclusion 190 

M317380 


PREFACE. 

The  stories  about  Illinois  grouped  together  in  this  little 
booklet  were  used  by  the  author  in  several  classes  before 
he  had  any  thought  of  putting  them  into  print.  At  the 
suggestion  of  a  number  of  teachers  who,  doubtless  with 
more  good  will  than  critical  judgment,  believed  they  might 
be  as  acceptable  to  other  pupils  as  they  had  proven  in  the 
classes  observed,  the  task  of  preparing  them  for  the  printer 
was  undertaken  and  completed. 

The  work  has  been  done  in  the  midst  of  a  multitude  of 
other  duties  which  forbade  more  than  an  hour  or  two  of 
continuous  attention.  A  book  produced  under  such  cir- 
cumstances must  show  many  marks  of  haste,  lack  of  close 
connection  in  places,  unfortunate  choice  of  phraseology 
and,  perhaps,  some  mistakes  in  statements  of  facts.  The 
above  explanation  is  our  apology  for  these  faults. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  book  may  be  useful  as  supplementary 
reading  matter  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  of  the 
grammar  schools,  and  may  also  be  an  aid  and  incentive  in 
the  hands  of  the  teachers  of  the  lower  grades  for  doing 
some  oral  teaching  in  the  most  interesting  study  of  our  own 
state  geography  and  history. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  book  thousands  of  pages  have 
been  read  covering  all  the  accessible  sources  of  informa- 
tion upon  the  Illinois  country.  It  would  be  easy  to  compile 
a  much  larger  book  and  any  one  else  would  doubtless  make 
a  different  selection  of  topics,  but  it  seemed  to  the  writer 

5 


that  for  the  purposes  intended  the  subjects  selected  cover 
the  ground  briefly  and  completely  and  emphasize  the  im- 
portant epochs  in  the  history  of  the  state. 

For  the  facts  contained  in  these  pages  we  are  "debtor 
both  to  the  Greeks  and  to  the  barbarians;"  to  the  cultured 
essays  and  papers  of  such  men  as  Mason,  Caton  and  Parrish, 
and  to  the  rude  stories  told  by  the  frontiersmen  who  oc- 
cupied the  prairies  and  timbered  valleys  of  LaSalle  County, 
where  as  a  child  we  became  familiar  with  the  endless 
reaches  of  waving  grass  and  corn  and  listened  with  open- 
eyed  wonder  to  the  fireside  stories  of  early  deeds  of  daring 
and  privation.  We  are  particularly  indebted  to  Secretary 
of  State  James  A.  Rose  for  permission  to  reproduce  for 
these  pages  some  of  the  maps  which  appeared  in  the  Blue 
Book,  prepared  under  his  supervision  and  through  which 
many  of  our  dates  and  facts  have  been  verified.  We  also 
wish  to  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  to  Mr.  C.  E.  Sieben- 
thal  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  from  photographs  of 
whose  relief  casts  of  the  Chicago  plain  the  two  maps  were 
reproduced.  The  map  illustrating  the  route  of  Black  Hawk 
was  reproduced,  with  permission  from  McClure's  Magazine, 
illustrating  Tarbell's  Life  of  Lincoln. 

In  parting  with  the  copyright  of  the  book  the  author  has 
agreed  with  the  purchasers  thereof  to  make  all  necessary 
corrections  and  revisions  that  may  be  suggested  for  future 
editions.  It  will  be  considered  a  favor  if  our  friends  who 
read  or  use  the  book  will  call  attention  to  such  errors  or 
essential  omissions  as  may  chance  to  occur  to  them. 

The  preparation  and  arrangement  of  these  stories  has 
been  a  source  of  great  pleasure,  and  their  presentation  to 
the  classes  where  they  have  been  tested  has  been  among  the 
most  enjoyable  experiences  we  have  had  in  the  class  room. 

Believing  that  the  stories  of  heroism  and  consecration  to 
duty  that  gather  about  the  prairies  and  river  valleys  of 
Illinois  are  as  interesting  and  as  worthy  a  place  in  the 
pupils'  book  of  remembrance  as  are  the  more  distant  and 

6 


vague  stories  of  foreign  lands  and  Atlantic  coast  coloniza- 
tions, we  send  this  little  book  out  without  any  great  antici- 
pations yet  with  the  hope  that  it  may  find  a  place  and  wel- 
come awaiting  it  in  the  schools  of  the  state. 

W.  H.  Campbell. 
D.  S.  Wentworth  School,  70th  and  Sangamon  Sts.,  Chi- 
cago, III.,  March,  1908. 


SKETCHES  OF  ILLINOIS  HISTORY 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  PHYSIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  STATE 

When  we  speak  of  a  man,  of  what  is  it  that  we  think  ?  Is 
it  of  his  body  and  head  and  hands  and  feet?  Or  is  it  of  his 
mind  and  power  to  think  and  say?  Or  is  it  of  his  dispo- 
sition and  habits  and  social  life?  Now  it  may  be  of  any 
one  of  these  or  of  all  combined  in  the  one  person.  We 
recognize  the  many  manifestations  in  the  same  individual. 
But  under  all  the  manifestations,  giving  to  them  definiteness 
and  meaning,  is  the  physical  man.  So  intimate  is  the  rela- 
tion between  mind  and  body  that  whatever  affects  one  re- 
acts upon  the  other.  We  expect  to  find  a  strong  vigorous 
mind  in  a  strong  vigorous  body.  Habits  of  life  that  tend 
to  weaken  or  destroy  muscle  and  nerve  tissue  leave  their 
impress  upon  the  mental  activities.  Somehow  our  mental 
and  spiritual  forces  are  interwoven  with  the  flesh  and  blood 
and  nerves  of  the  body.  So  true  is  this  that  when  a  man's 
thoughts  are  being  presented  to  us  we  would  like  to  see  the 
man.  It  is  not  enough  to  hear  the  words;  we  want  to  see 
the  form,  we  want  to  hear  the  utterance. 

What  is  true  of  the  term  "man"  is  equally  true  of  the 
word  "state."    What  is  a  state?    Is  it  a  certain  number  of 

9 


square  miles  of  hill  and  valley  and  plain?  The  state  of 
Illinois  elected  a  governor.  What  elected  him?  The  hills 
and  valleys? 

"What  constitutes  a  state? 
Not  high  raised  battlement  or  labored  mound, 

Thick  wall  or  moated  gate; 
Not  cities  fair  with  spires  and  turrets  crowned. 

No: — Men,  high-minded  men, 
With  powers  as  far  above  dull  brutes  endued, 

In  forest,  brake  or  den, 
As  beasts  excel  cold  rocks  and  brambles  rude — 

Men  who  their  duties  know, 
Know  too  their  rights,  and  knowing,  dare  maintain." 
The  people,  in  their  collective  capacity,  make  the  state. 

Then  again  we  think  of  the  state  as  a  hive  of  industry, — 
its  shuttles  flying,  its  locomotives  whistling  and  puffing,  its 
mills  blacking  the  heavens  with  their  smoke,  its  cattle,  its 
coal,  its  grain  entrained  for  distant  points, — and  it  is  the 
industrial  manifestations  only  that  we  see.  Yet  it  is  true 
that  no  matter  whether  it  be  the  people  in  their  sovereign 
capacity  speaking  through  their  laws  and  suffrages,  or 
whether  it  be  the  courts  speaking  in  the  name  of  the  sov- 
ereign people,  or  whether  it  be  the  industrial  and  commer- 
cial spirit,  or  whether  it  be  its  historic  past, — under  it  all 
giving  definiteness  and  comprehension  is  the  physical  make- 
up of  the  state, — the  hills  and  valleys  shut  in  by  certain 
well  defined  and  legalized  limits.  All  the  life  of  the  state  is 
so  interwoven  with  the  natural  features  that  we  must  come 
back  to  them  for  our  final  anchoring  place, — for  our  reason 
why. 

The  physiography  of  any  country  eventually  affects  the 
character  of  the  people.  Sublimity  and  beauty  of  scenery 
inspires  to  full  expansion  of  lungs  and  to  force  of  circula- 
tion. Dullness  and  monotony  cramps  and  stunts.  The  an- 
cient Greeks  among  their  hills  and  near  the  boundless  sea, 
and  the  Swiss  amid  their  towering  mountains,  are  fair  illus- 
trations of  the  effect  of  nature  upon  a  people. 

10 


If  this  be  true,  it  is  well  worth  our  while  to  study  the 
physical  make-up  of  our  state  and  to  become  somewhat  ac- 
quainted with  its  general  characteristics  and  sources  of 
strength  before  attempting  to  go  into  the  incidental  stories 
and  narratives  that  have  woven  themselves  around  these 
hills  and  valleys  of  Illinois. 

One  of  the  most  marked  physiographic  facts  that  presents 
itself  when  we  come  to  study  the  maps  and  the  charts  is  the 
comparatively  low  altitude  of  Illinois.  Its  average  height 
above  the  sea  is  six  hundred  thirty-two  feet.  That  of  In- 
diana is  seven  hundred  feet;  of  Missouri,  eight  hundred 
feet;  of  Michigan,  nine  hundred  feet;  of  Wisconsin,  one 
thousand  fifty  feet;  of  Iowa,  one  thousand  one  hundred 
feet.  If  we  erect  proportional  lines  to  indicate  this  we 
shall  have  a  series  somewhat  as  follows : 


J  4  J  d 


i      i      i       i 

Towa  " VfsTMo .  ill.  lad.  Ml 


r^ 


X 


A 


V 


ch. 


When  the  tops  of  these  lines  are  connected  we  see  what 
a  basin  Illinois  seems  to  form  among  the  adjoining  states. 
What  would  be  the  natural  inference  from  this  lay  of  the 
land?  The  rivers  from  all  sides  are  directed  toward  this 
state.  Of  the  boundary  line,  five  hundred  fifty  miles  of  it 
is  made  by  the  Mississippi,  three  hundred  miles  by  the  Ohio 
and  Wabash  and  sixty  miles  by  Lake  Michigan. 

Not  only  does  the  state  have  a  long  extent  of  water 
boundary,  but  it  has  numerous  rivers  within  its  own  terri- 
tory. The  following  outline  will  show  at  a  glance  the  prin- 
cipal streams  with  their  outlets : 

ii 


Drainage 
System. 


St.  Lawrence — Lake  Michigan,    j  Calumet 
Apple. 
Plum. 

{Pecatonica. 
Kishwaukee. 
Green. 
Edwards. 
Henderson. 

Des  Plaines. 


Mississippi. 


Illinois. 


Kankakee. 
Fox. 

Vermilion. 
Spoon. 
Mackinaw. 
w  Sangamon. 


Kaskaskia. 
Big  Muddy. 

(  Cache. 
Ohio.      ]  Saline. 

(  Wabash. 


T  Little  Wabash. 
\  Embarrass. 


This  outline  at  once  suggests  that  the  state  is  well  watered 
and  well  drained.  A  region  of  country  so  intersected  by 
streams,  with  their  many  tributaries,  can  have  no  place  for 
arid  sections.  It  suggests  also  that  there  must  be  a  number 
of  natural  valleys  and  divides.  A  glance  at  a  relief  map  of 
the  state  shows  this  to  be  true. 

During  the  early  geological  periods  the  various  forma- 
tions of  rock  were  laid  down  and  in  the  many  changes  that 
occurred  were  partly  washed  away.  In  the  process  of 
formation  these  layers  of  primitive  rocks  were  slightly  wrin- 
kled by  pressure  and  in  places  lifted  up  a  little  above  the 
average  level  of  the  surrounding  section.  As  we  cross  the 
state  in  different  directions  we  find  the  outcroppings  of  these 
partially  eroded  formations  obtruding  from  the  drift  and 
soil  which  cover  most  of  the  surface  of  the  state.  On  the 
Rock  river,  near  Oregon,  we  find  an  outcropping  of  the 
St.  Peter's  sandstone,  which  gives  to  that  region  a  most 
picturesque  and  attractive  scenery.  There  is  probably  no 
section  of  the  state  in  which  the  natural  scenery  is  more 
inviting  than  in  the  neighborhood  of  Oregon.  On  the  Illi- 
nois river,  around  Ottawa,  there  is  another  outcropping  of 

12 


this  same  sandstone,  giving  another  region  of  unusual  va- 
riety and  beauty.  Starved  Rock,  Deer  Park,  and  the  many 
beautiful  canons  of  LaSalle  county  are  all  formed  in  the 
St.  Peter's  sandstone  group.  At  Joliet  and  near  Rock  Is- 
land and  in  Calhoun  county,  and  in  several  other  localities, 
we  find  decided  exposures  of  the  Niagara  limestone  group. 
In  other  places  we  find  the  sub-carboniferous  and  the  car- 
boniferous, bearing  coal,  exposed  to  view.  In  all  parts  of 
the  state  if  borings  are  sunk  deep  enough  the  primary  rock 
may  be  found. 

Why  are  not  these  rock  formations  exposed  in  all  parts 
of  the  state  ?  Why  is  it  that  in  most  places,  in  digging  for 
water,  we  have  to  bore  through  many  feet  of  sand,  gravel 
and  boulders  before  coming  to  the  bed  rock?  In  many 
places  this  layer  on  top  of  the  main  rock  is  thirty  feet  deep ; 
in  some  places  it  is  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  deep.  How  did  all  this  come  about?  This  intro- 
duces us  to  another  phase  of  the  physical  make-up  of  the 
state. 

Long  after  the  primary  rock  formations  had  been  laid 
down,  after  they  had  many  times  been  lifted  above  the 
waters  and  sunk  again,  after  the  lower  Silurian  limestone 
around  Galena  had  been  filled  with  lead,  and  the  fields  cov- 
ering the  central  parts  of  the  state  had  been  stored  with 
sufficient  coal  to  keep  all  the  fires  of  the  world  burning  for 
centuries,  there  came  a  great  change  over  the  face  of  the 
earth.  No  man  knows  exactly  how  or  why  it  came  about, 
but  it  grew  very  cold.  For  hundreds  of  years  the  plants 
and  animals  that  had  flourished  where  we  now  live  were 
frozen  out.  Nothing  could  grow  in  all  this  northern  region 
of  the  world.  A  cold  barren  reach  of  ice  and  snow  grad- 
ually covered  the  land.  It  grew  heavier  and  thicker,  col- 
lecting upon  the  high  lands  of  Canada  and  the  regions  to 
the  north  as  it  now  collects  upon  the  highest  parts  of  the 
Alps  in  Europe,  or  of  the  coast  range  in  our  own  Alaska. 
These  great  fields  of  ice,  as  they  grew  larger  and  heavier, 

13 


began  to  move  slowly  towards  the  lower  lands.  As  they 
moved  down  they  pushed  all  obstructions  before  them.  A 
grove  of  trees  was  less  than  a  cobweb  in  their  path.  A 
projection  of  rock  sticking  up  from  the  surface  a  hundred 
feet  or  more  would  be  ground  into  fragments  and  carried 
along  with  the  great  ice  mass  moving  toward  the  south. 
This  great  ice  plow  not  only  swept  the  surface  bare  as  it 
went,  but  it  dug  into  the  earth,  carving  out  holes  hundreds 
of  feet  deep  and  thousands  of  miles  in  area.  The  rocks  it 
carried  along  were  rolled  over  and  over  again  under  the 
great  ice  mass  until  they  were  ground  into  huge  marbles  or 
boulders. 

But  this  ice  march  could  not  go  on  forever.  There  must 
come  a  place  where  the  heat  of  the  sun  was  sufficient  to 
melt  the  front  edge  of  this  ice  field.  In  Illinois  this  place 
was  reached  about  sixty  miles  north  of  Cairo.  Here  the 
ice  began  to  melt,  and  the  dirt  and  gravel  and  sand  it  had 
ground  up  and  carried  along  were  dropped  upon  the  old 
primary  rock  formations.  Where  the  glacier  stopped,  all 
along  its  front  end,  a  ridge  of  gravel  and  clay  was  built  up 
and  left.  It  is  there  today,  so  we  can  stand  upon  it  and 
compare  it  with  the  land  north  and  south  of  it,  and  know 
for  ourselves  that  we  are  standing  upon  soil  brought  down 
by  this  great  ice  wagon  from  the  north.  Not  only  once, 
but  twice  and  three  times,  perhaps  oftener,  did  this  happen, 
except  that  each  time  the  front  edge  of  the  ice  river  stopped 
sooner  than  the  time  before.  So  over  the  northern  part  of 
the  state  three,  at  least,  of  these  great  glaciers  swept,  cover- 
ing the  old  rock  in  places  very  deep.  This  is  why  we  have 
to  dig  through  sand  and  gravel  and  boulders  so  many  feet 
before  striking  the  solid  rock.  This  is  why  boulders,  almost 
round,  from  six  inches  to  five  feet  in  diameter,  can  be  found 
scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  state.  This  is  why,  chiefly, 
that  we  have  Lake  Michigan  and  all  the  other  northern 
lakes.    The  great  holes  scooped  out  by  the  moving  ice  fields 

14 


were  filled  with  water,  when  the  glaciers  melted,  and  there 
they  are  to  this  day. 

The  loads  of  dirt  carried  were  in  some  cases  dropped  in 
the  beds  of  old  rivers,  filling  them  up  so  completely  and 
solidly  that  when  the  glaciers  were  gone  things  had  been 
so  changed  that  the  rivers  had  to  dig  out  new  channels. 
This  was  true  of  the  Mississippi  river  near  Rock  Island  and 
for  forty  or  more  miles  below  that  point.  This  was  true  of 
the  Illinois  river  near  Hennepin.  Many  other  cases  can  be 
shown  where  this  happened.  In  places  these  terminal  mo- 
raines formed  basins,  the  dirt  being  piled  up  on  all  sides, 
thus  shutting  in  thousands  of  acres  of  land.  These  areas 
could  not  get  good  drainage  and  became  the  swamp  lands 
that  our  farmers  are  still  draining  with  tile.  In  some  of 
these  basins  the  best  kind  of  soil  has  been  deposited  by 
growth  and  decay  and  the  small  streams  seeping  into  them 
until  now,  when  drained  by  the  farmer,  they  are  the  richest 
lands  to  be  had.  There  are  farmers  in  northern  Illinois  who 
are  reaping  sixty  and  seventy  bushels  per  acre  from  fields 
in  which  they  went  duck  hunting  or  swimming  when  they 
were  boys. 

It  is  now  time  for  us  to  look  at  a  map  of  the  state  upon 
which  these  moraines  are  located.  We  see  that  the  first 
moraine  extends  westward  from  near  the  point  where  the 
Wabash'  river  leaves  the  Illinois  state  boundary.  This 
moraine  has  been  called  the  Shelbyville  moraine.  You  notice 
the  Embarrass  river  has  cut  through  it  in  order  to  reach  its 
natural  outlet.  The  second  moraine  is  shaped  something 
like  an  elbow,  reaching  from  the  eastern  part  of  the  state 
a  few  miles  north  of  the  Shelbyville  moraine  bending  to  the 
north  at  about  the  forty-first  degree  of  latitude,  and  ending 
in  the  state  of  Wisconsin.  This  is  known  as  the  Champaign 
moraine.  This  is  by  far  the  largest  and  most  prominent  one 
in  the  state.  You  notice  how  the  Illinois  river  has  cut  its 
way  across  this  moraine.  The  third  follows  Lake  Michi- 
gan and  is  located  only  a  few  miles  to  the  west  of  its  south- 

15 


ern  part.  This  is  called  the  Valparaiso  moraine;  the  Des 
plaines  river  had  to  cut  its  way  across  it.  Should  we  take 
the  Illinois  Central  railroad  at  Chicago  and  travel  to  Cairo, 
we  would  cross  the  Valparaiso  moraine,  then  the  valley 
drained  by  the  Kankakee  and  Vermilion  rivers,  then  the 
Champaign  moraine,  then,  following  the  ridge  that  divides 


the  Embarrass  from  the  Kaskaskia,  we  would  enter  the 
basin  of  the  Big  Muddy  river,  and  in  this  basin  would  come 
to  and  cross  that  southern  uplift  known  as  the  Ozark  High- 
lands. South  of  these  highlands  there  is  no  drift.  This 
Ozark  ridge  of  hills  is  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  miles 
wide,  but  reaches  across  the  state  from  Shawneetown  on 

16 


V? 


the  Ohio  to  Grand  Tower  on  the  Mississippi.  In  places  the 
elevations  reach  an  altitude  of  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet, 
and  in  one  place  to  one  thousand  forty-seven  feet. 

One  other  little  section  of  the  state  seems  to  have  been 
left  untouched  by  the  great  ice  rivers.  This  is  the  extreme 
northwestern  part  of  the  state,  a  little  corner  comprising  Jo 
Daviess  county.  Here  we  have  the  highest  point  of  land  in 
the  state,  Charles  Mound,  which  rises  to  an  altitude  of 
twelve  hundred  fifty-seven  feet. 

A  study  of  this  map  will  show  us  that  there  are  seven 
distinct  drainage  basins  in  the  state.  These  are  drained 
respectively  by  the  Rock  River,  the  Illinois  river,  the  Kas- 
kaskia  river,  the  Big  Muddy  river,  the  Embarrass  river,  the 
Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  Lake  Michigan.  Perhaps 
the  smallest  of  all  these  areas  is  that  drained  by  the  lake. 
In  the  ice  age  the  waters  from  the  lake  region  poured  out 
through  the  Illinois  valley  to  the  Mississippi,  and  thence  to 
the  Gulf.  But  as  the  height  of  the  waters  sank,  the  little 
elevation  to  the  west  cut  the  waters  of  the  lake  off  in  that 
direction  and  forced  them  to  find  an  outlet  by  way  of  the 
north.  The  Chicago  drainage  channel  has  opened  up  this 
old  waterway,  giving  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  an  outlet 
to  the  Gulf. 

In  the  places  where  the  drift  material  was  not  deposited, 
the  old  rock  formations  are  at  the  top,  making  rugged 
scenery  and  furnishing  picturesque  building  sites.  In  many 
such  places  even  the  abutments  for  bridges  can  be  spared, 
as  the  natural  formation  gives  ample  support.  We  find  the 
drift  in  other  sections  piled  up  in  great  mounds,  as  if  done 
by  hand.  Joliet  Mound,  near  Joliet,  was  a  good  example  of 
this  until  the  Rock  Island  railway  company  decided  a  few 
years  ago  that  the  material  was  needed  for  ballast.  Where 
this  drift  covers  the  state,  canal  digging  and  railroad  build- 
ing can  be  done  with  comparative  ease.  There  seems  to 
have  been  considerable  regularity  in  the  deposition  of  the 
drift.     It  did  not  all  drop  down  in  a  heap,  but  the  heavier 

17 


parts  settled  down  first,  then  the  lighter  were  deposited 
layer  after  layer,  something  as  the  leaves  of  a  book. 

In  an  early  day  the  waters  of  Lake  Michigan  filled  all  the 
plain  where  the  city  of  Chicago  is  now  built,  reaching  to  the 
edge  of  the  Valparaiso  moraine.  In  the  midst  of  these  ancient 
waters,  Stony  Island  and  Blue  Island  were  spots  of  dry  land, 
— oases  in  the  desert  of  waters.  As  the  waters  receded,  the 
lake  shrunk  toward  its  present  outline,  and  room  was  made 
for  the  building  of  the  great  city  of  the  West. 

18 


There  are  vast  regions  of  Illinois  almost  as  level  as  a  floor. 
There  are  thousands  of  acres  from  which  the  first  farmers 
did  not  have  to  cut  a  tree  nor  dig  a  stump  before  putting  the 
plow  to  work.  The  natural  drainage  with  the  wonderfully 
rich  soil  marks  out  these  great  reaches  of  prairie  land  as 
one  of  the  best  agricultural  regions  of  the  earth.  An 
immense  population  could  be  supported  from  the  fields  of 
this  state. 

We  will  look  at  another  map  before  passing  from  this  part 
of  our  subject.    The  storm  maps  of  the  United  States  show 

J9 


that  most  of  the  storms,  the  winds,  the  rains,  the  changes 
of  temperature,  follow  three  well-defined  routes.  One  of 
these  clings  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  Another,  beginning 
in  the  southwest,  crosses  the  country  diagonally  to  Maine. 
This  route  crosses  Illinois  along  the  Kaskaskia  valley.  The 
third  begins  in  the  Pacific  ocean,  or  in  the  mountain  regions 
of  our  Northwest,  and  crosses  the  country  in  an  easternly 
direction  to  Maine.    This  route  crosses  Illinois  in  the  lati- 


tude of  Chicago.  You  notice  that  there  is  no  state  except 
Illinois  that  is  crossed  by  two  of  these  storm  routes  until 
we  reach  New  England.  This  will  help  us  to  understand 
why  Illinois  has  such  a  variety  of  weather  and  perhaps  more 
sudden  changes  of  temperature  than  any  other  state  in  the 
Union. 

We  should  examine,  also,  two  other  charts,  one  showing 
the  average  temperature  and  the  other  the  average  rainfall 
for  the  state.  In  all  such  charts  the  same  temperature  is 
represented  by  very  crooked  lines.  The  altitude,  the  con- 
formation of  the  drainage  basins,  the  forests  and  .prairies 
and  the  amount  of  rainfall  all  have  an  influence  upon  the 

20 


temperature.  Hardly  any  two  places  are  exactly  alike  in 
these  respects,  so  we  should  not  expect  to  find  many  places 
alike  in  temperature  records.  In  the  extreme  north  part  of 
the  state  the  average  temperature  is  forty-six  degrees,  while 
in  the  extreme  south  it  is  fifty-eight  degrees.  This  is  a 
difference  of  twelve  degrees  and  means  a  difference  of  about 
three  weeks  in  the  season. 

On  the  chart  showing  the  average  rainfall  we  will  see  that 
there  is  quite  a  variation,  reaching  all  the  way  from  twenty- 
eight  to  forty-five  inches  per  year.  The  average  for  the 
state  is  about  thirty-eight  inches. 

Now,  we  have  attempted  to  get  before  us  the  physical 
outlook  of  the  state,  showing  how  it  was  made,  of  what  its 
bone  and  muscle  consist,  whence  its  soil  came,  how  its  mois- 
ture and  drainage  are  provided,  and  the  consequent  possi- 
bilities of  this  region  for  civilization  and  culture.  We  have 
seen  what  nature  has  done  for  this  region.  What  has  man 
done  to  perfect  her  work  ? 


21 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  EARLY  INHABITANTS 

This  was  a  beautiful  prairie  land  reaching  far  and  far  away 
beyond  the  power  of  the  eye  to  see.  Miles  and  miles  of  it 
were  almost  as  level  as  a  floor.  The  drainage  was  nearly 
perfect.  There  was  enough  of  timber  to  give  variety  to  the 
landscape  and  to  furnish  the  necessary  building  material  for 
a  moderate  population  of  simple  people.  The  soil  left  by  the 
glaciers  and  added  to  by  the  natural  growth  of  vegetation 
was  as  rich  as  a  garden.  Surely  such  a  field  as  this  was 
destined  to  a  history  of  stirring  events  and  of  industrial  life. 
What  people  first  owned  these  lands,  and  how  came  they 
to  leave  them,  and  by  whom  were  they  succeeded?  The 
native  inhabitants  were  Indians.  When  Columbus  added  the 
western  world  to  the  geography  of  the  middle  ages,  in  1492, 
he  found  a  land  that  was  beyond  value  in  its  resources  and 
in  its  possibilities;  but  the  people  acquired  with  the  land 
were  of  little  value  to  the  world's  history.  They  have  been 
the  means  of  putting  to  shame  the  records  of  Spanish,  Eng- 
lish and  American  explorers,  colonists,  and  statesmen  whose 
hands  have  been  drenched  in  the  blood  of  innocent  savages, 
and  whose  treaties  have  been  violated  with  impunity  because 
made  with  these  helpless  children  of  the  forest.  But  they 
have  been  a  hopeless  problem  in  all  efforts  to  civilize  them. 
They  have  not  the  inherited  instincts  of  the  white  man,  and 
do  not  want  to  live  as  the  white  man  lives.    They  were  in 

22 


possession  of  these  boundless  plains  and  interminable  woods 
from  Maine  to  California  and  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to 
the  frozen  regions  of  Alaska.  They  had  their  own  institu- 
tions, their  own  manner  of  life,  and  their  own  religious 
beliefs  and  superstitions,  as  simple  as  the  life  they  lived. 
They  had  their  families,  their  tribes  and  their  great  clans, 
distinguished  one  from  the  other,  as  were  the  nations  of 
Europe,  by  differences  of  dialect,  language  and  customs. 

There  is  no  satisfactory  evidence  that  any  race  of  people 
preceded  the  Indians  in  the  occupation  of  this  country. 
Some  years  ago  the  scientists  thought  there  had  been  an 
older  race  of  people,  whom  they  called  Mound  Builders,  who 
had  erected  great  mounds  in  many  sections  of  the  country. 
These  mounds  still  exist,  such  of  them  as  have  not  been 
destroyed,  most  of  them  in  river  valleys  not  far  removed 
from  the  streams.  This  one  fact  suggests  a  possible  explana- 
tion of  their  origin, — they  may  have  been  devised  for  the 
purpose  of  protecting  the  people  from  the  great  overflows 
of  the  rivers,  which  were  probably  much  greater  than  now. 
We  have  seen  one  of  these  mounds  some  twelve  miles  or 
more  from  the  usual  channel  of  the  Mississippi  river  in  Mis- 
souri, built  upon  with  corn  cribs,  barns,  sheds  and  dwelling- 
house,  the  only  spot  above  water  for  a  distance  of  five  miles 
in  any  direction.  The  farmer  had  taken  advantage  of  one 
of  the  old  Indian  mounds  for  the  same  purpose  for  which 
the  Indians  had  erected  it, — to  keep  himself  above  the  Mis- 
sissippi overflow  in  the  month  of  February.  Many  of  these 
mounds  have  been  found  to  contain  skeletons,  pottery  and 
various  other  things,  and  from  the  remains  found  scattered 
about,  a  sort  of  culture,  religious  and  industrial,  has  been 
supposed  and  defended.  Nothing,  however,  has  been  found 
and  nothing  proven  that  might  not  apply  to  the  Indian  tribes 
as  they  were  in  the  olden  times. 

A  glance  at  a  map  will  help  us  to  understand  that  at  the 
time  of  the  earliest  white  occupation  of  the  country,  North 
America  was  peopled  by  three  great  classes  or  grades  of 

23 


Indians.  To  the  extreme  north"  and  west,  beyond  the  Rocky 
mountains,  were  the  savage  nations.  These  lived  wholly  on 
the  results  of  the  chase  and  the  streams,  with  what  fruits  and 
roots  they  could  gather.  They  made  no  pretense  at  culti- 
vating the  ground,  nor  did  they  have  any  of  the  conveniences 
of  life.  To  the  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  extending  to 
the  Atlantic  and  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  were  the  barbarous 
tribes.  These  depended  not  alone  upon  the  hunt  and  the 
streams,  but  made  some  rude  attempts  at  cultivation.  They 
grew  fields  of  corn  and  beans  and  tobacco.  They  gathered 
their  harvests  and  stored  the  grain  for  winter  use.    They 

24 


used  the  bow  and  arrow  pointed  with  flint,  or  hurled  the 
spear,  similarly  pointed,  in  the  chase  or  in  war.  For  pastime 
they  danced  around  their  camp-fires,  or  their  young  men  ran 
races  or  played  at  games  of  ball  on  the  open  fields.  These 
were  the  Indians  with  whom  the  English  and  French  had  to 
do  in  this  country.  To  the  southwest  and  extreme  south, 
reaching  through  Mexico  and  Central  America,  were  the 
half-civilized  races.  These  had  a  much  higher  degree  of 
civilization.  They  had  a  system  of  counting  and  writing. 
They  kept  records  of  events  and  had  a  rude  astronomy. 
They  were  skilled  builders  in  stone,  and  some  of  their  struc- 
tures are  the  wonder  of  antiquarians  today.  These  were 
the  races  with  whom  the  Spaniards  came  in  contact  in 
Mexico  and  whose  land  they  overran  and  whose  civilization 
they  destroyed  without  appreciating  it. 

We  see,  then,  that  the  Indians  who  occupied  the  country 
where  we  live  were  of  the  barbarous  races.  These  Indians 
belonged  chiefly  to  three  great  families  or  clans.  These  were 
the  Iroquois,  whose  principal  lands  were  in  New  York ;  the 
Algonquins,  who  covered  an  immense  territory  reaching 
from  Labrador  to  the  Mississippi,  completely  surrounding 
the  Iroquois ;  and  the  Sioux,  the  latter  living  chiefly  west  of 
the  Mississippi.  Each  of  these  families  was  divided  up  into 
a  number  of  tribes.  In  Illinois  we  have  for  the  most  part 
the  tribes  of  the  Illinois,  the  Miamis,  Pottawattomies,  Kicka- 
poos  and  Winnebagoes.  All  these  except  the  Winnebagoes 
belonged  to  the  great  Algonquin  family.  The  Winnebagoes 
were  of  the  Sioux  family.  Of  all  the  Indians  in  North 
America,  the  Algonquins  were  the  most  amenable  to  civiliza- 
tion. The  Sioux  were  the  most  warlike  and  unapproachable. 
They  have  always  been  a  proud,  warring  people.  Sitting 
Bull,  who  lead  his  braves  to  the  massacre  of  General  Custer's 
little  army  a  few  years  ago,  was  a  Sioux  Chief. 

A  couple  of  maps  showing  the  arrangement  of  the  Indian 
tribes  of  Illinois  in  1760  and  again  in  1760  will  illustrate 
how  they  shifted  from  place  to  place  and  how  the  tribes 

25 


seemed  to  shrink  as  war  and  the  exigencies  of  protection  and 
food  came  upon  them.  Notice  the  territory  of  the  Illinois 
tribe  in  the  two  maps.  The  Sioux  sometimes  crossed  the 
river  and  made  war  upon  the  more  peaceable  Algonquins  on 
the  Illinois  side.  The  warlike  Iroquois  from  near  Lake 
Ontario  often  took  the  warpath  and,  trailing  the  forests  for 
more  than  five  hundred  miles,  slaughtered  the  tribes  in  the 
valley  of  the  Illinois  and  laid  their  fields  waste,  leaving  their 
villages  but  smoking  ruins. 

It  was  a  cruel  way  of  life,  but  it  was  all  they  knew.  To 
this  life  they  had  been  born,  and  their  fathers  for  genera- 
tions had  known  nothing  better,  nor  did  they  wish  for  any 

26 


other.  They  were  willing  to  live  their  rude  lives,  much  of 
the  time  in  hunger  and  cold,  and  to  die  under  the  scalping- 
knife  or  under  the  dreadful  torture  of  the  stake.  In  these 
valleys  of  the  Rock  river,  the  Illinois,  the  Kaskaskia,  the 
Big  Muddy,  the  Embarrass,  and  in  the  Chicago  plain,  the 
smoke  from  hundreds  of  little  Indian  villages  rose  to  the 
clouds,  and  along  these  streams  the  rude  savage  caught  his 
fish  or  his  game,  and  here  the  squaws  tilled  the  fields  of 
squash  and  Indian  corn.  Here  they  chased  the  buffalo  and 
the  deer,  and  after  the  successful  big  hunt  in  the  autumn 
they  had  their  dances  and  feasts  lasting  for  days  at  a  time. 
Here  their  children  grew  to  manhood  and  womanhood,  their 

27 


sons  and  daughters  were  married  and  given  in  marriage. 
The  cradle  and  the  grave  were  there  as  they  are  with  us,  to 
mark  the  two  most  eventful  epochs  in  a  human  life.  The 
Indian  had  his  way  of  looking  at  it  as  we  have  ours. 

Thus  the  Indians  of  Illinois  had  been  living  for  hundreds 
of  years,  and  thus  they  were  living  in  1673,  when  the  first 
glimmer  of  a  new  day  and  a  different  form  of  life  fell  across 
their  valley  and  gave  promise  of  marvelous  changes.  The 
palefaces  reached  the  Illinois  country,  and  with  their  coming 
history  really  begins.  Whence  came  the  first  white  men  to 
these  valleys  ?    Who  were  they  and  why  did  they  come  ? 


28 


CHAPTER  III 

THE    COMING    OF    THE    FRENCH — MARQUETTE   AND    JOLIET 

During  the  years  1 541-1543  four  historic  events  were 
taking  place  in  different  parts  of  North  America  which  we 
may  link  together  for  the  sake  of  memory  help.  DeSoto 
was  wandering  across  the  southern  wilderness,  battling  with 
wild  beasts  and  still  wilder  men,  probably  penetrating  as 
far  as  the  present  boundary  of  Kansas,  finding  in  all  his 
journeyings  nothing  so  wonderful  as  his  burying-place — 
the  Mississippi  river.  Cbronado,  coming  up  from  the  north- 
western part  of  Mexico,  was  searching  for  the  marvelous 
city  of  Quivera,  which  existed  only  in  diseased  imagina- 
tions. In  his  dreary  wanderings  he  came  within  a  few 
hundred  miles,  perhaps  within  a  few  days'  march,  of  De 
Soto's  men.  On  the  Pacific  coast,  Cabrillo,  a  third  Span- 
iard, had  discovered  the  shore  line  of  the  present  California, 
and,  wintering  in  the  harbor  of  San  Diego,  had  died  there. 
Away  off  to  the  northeast,  Cartier,  sailing  up  the  St.  Law- 
rence river  to  the  present  site  of  Montreal,  attempted  to 
plant  a  colony.  Cartier  failed  in  this  attempt,  but  the 
French  had  entered  upon  the  plan  of  colonizing,  and  they 
are  to  be  dealt  with  in  our  history  as  an  active  force  for  a 
period  of  a  little  more  than  two  hundred  years. 

In  1608  a  permanent  settlement  was  made  at  Quebec. 
After  three-quarters  of  a  century,  the  French  were  at  last 
firmly  planted  upon  the  soil  of  the  New  World.     In  161 1 

29 


they  established  themselves  at  Montreal.  Within  the  next 
sixty  years  they  went  up  the  Ottawa  river,  crossed  by  port- 
age to  the  Georgian  Bay,  and  then  to  the  Sault  Ste.  Marie 
rapids,  where  in  1641  they  established  a  mission  among  the 
Indians  and  a  post  for  the  fur  traders.  Then  they  went 
on  to  the  west,  establishing  another  post  at  Pointe  es  Sprite, 
near  the  southwestern  extremity  of  Lake  Superior,  in  1665. 
Other  posts  were  established  at  Mackinac  in  1669,  at  St. 
Xavier,  on  Green  Bay  in  1669,  and  at  Frontenac  in  1673.  Dot- 
ting these  places  on  our  map,  we  shall  see  that  the  French 
during  these  years  were  exploring  the  region  of  the  Great 
Lakes  and  were  making  the  natural  waterways  the  means  of 
communication  and  travel.  It  is  at  this  point  that  we  in  the 
Illinois  country  come  into  intimate  touch  with  these 
exploring  French. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  follow  with  our  map  and  pencil 
the  development  of  the  posts  and  forts  established  during 
the  next  three-quarters  of  a  century.  In  1679  we  ^n^  Ft. 
Miami  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  river  on  Lake  Michi- 
gan; in  1670,  Ft.  Crevecoeur  where  Peoria  now  stands;  in 
1682,  Ft.  St.  Louis  near  the  present  town  of  Utica,  Illinois ; 
in  1695,  Kaskaskia;  in  1717,  New  Orleans;  in  1735,  Vin- 
cennes;  in  1753,  Le  Boeuf,  Venango,  Ft.  Duquesne,  and 
other  establishments  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Great  Lakes. 
(See  map,  page  J2.) 

We  have  not  named  all  the  places  where  these  enter- 
prising Frenchmen  pushed  their  way  among  the  Indians, 
erecting  their  chapels,  setting  up  their  crucifixes,  and  build- 
ing huts  for  the  accommodation  of  the  traders.  It  must  not 
be  supposed  for  a  moment  that  these  settlements  stand  for 
the  same  thing  that  the  Pilgrim  or  Puritan  settlements  of 
New  England  stand  for,  or  those  of  Virginia  and  Carolina. 
Far  from  it.  Yet  they  were  way-stations  in  the  great  valley 
of  the  Mississippi,  planted  upon  all  the  routes  of  travel,  and 
here  were  the  lilies  of  France  giving  notice  to  all  the  world 
that  Frenchmen  had  taken  possession  of  this  valley  and 

30 


claimed  it  as  their  own  by  right  of  original  discovery  and 
exploration. 

The  most  prominent  and  the  most  lovable  character  con- 
nected with  the  explorations  of  the  Middle  West  was  the 
heroic  Father  Marquette.  His  is  one  of  the  lives  untouched 
by  selfishness  and  untainted  by  greed,  that  stands  out  like  a 
great  promontory  in  the  sea  of  passion  and  cruelty  and 
scheming  that  swept  over  the  New  World  during  the  first 
centuries  of  its  history.  He  was  molded  of  the  material  of 
which  martyrs  are  made.  He  never  desired  ease  or  fame. 
He  loved  humanity  and  wild  nature.  He  lived  as  he  had 
hoped  to  live,  and  finally  died  as  he  had  prayed  to  die,  far 
from  the  habitations  of  men,  in  the  midst  of  the  intermi- 
nable forests  beside  the  waterways  leading  to  the  Great 
Lakes,  his  face  turned  toward  heaven,  and  only  a  few  faith- 
ful converts  to  mark  his  passing. 

Father  Marquette  was  born  near  Paris,  in  France,  in 
1637.  He  came  of  a  warlike  family  among  the  wealthy  and 
noble  of  his  time.  He  chose  the  priesthood  for  his  profes- 
sion and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  Jesuits,  a  strict 
religious  society  belonging  to  the  priesthood  of  the  Catholic 
church  and  devoted  to  the  spread  of  their  faith  in  all  parts 
of  the  world.  This  society  was  organized  about  1535,  and 
from  that  day  to  this,  wherever  the  Church  has  needed  a 
man  to  take  desperate  chances, — on  the  frontier,  in  the  wil- 
derness, in  battle,  in  slavery,  beside  the  king's  throne,  or  at 
the  martyr's  stake, — she  had  but  to  suggest,  and  there  were 
men  of  this  order  waiting  to  do  or  die.  Father  Marquette 
belonged  to  this  order  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  was 
set  apart  for  missionary  work  in  the  wilderness  of  the  New 
World. 

In  September,  1666,  he  reached  Quebec.  Here  he 
reported  to  his  superior  and  thanked  God  that  he  was  at  last 
so  near  the  field  of  work  which  he  had  been  desiring  for 
years.  But  much  was  needed  by  the  young  man  before  he 
was  fully  equipped  for  his  work.    In  a  few  days  he  was  sent 

31 


up  to  Three  Rivers,  about  seventy-five  miles  above  Quebec, 
where  he  was  placed  under  the  instructions  of  an  expe- 
rienced teacher  and  missionary.  Here  he  remained  for  three 
years,  getting  ready.  He  had  to  learn  Indian  languages 
and  dialects;  he  had  to  learn  how  to  provide  himself  with 
food  in  the  wilderness,  how  to  make  rude  huts  and  shelters, 
how  to  cook  his  own  food,  how  to  paddle  canoes  and  swim 
swollen  streams,  and  how  to  make  his  own  clothing  out  of 
such  material  as  the  forest  furnished.  There  was  much 
besides  books  for  this  young  priest  to  study,  and  he  gave 
himself  unflinchingly  to  the  work. 

In  the  summer  of  1668,  Father  Marquette  was  ready  to 
go  farther  toward  the  frontier  to  make  proof  of  the  spirit 
that  was  in  him.  He  set  out  with  a  small  party  for  the  sta- 
tion at  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  near  the  mouth  of  Lake  Superior. 
Here  there  was  a  mission,  as  we  have  noted  on  our  map. 
This  seems  to  have  been  the  most  important  station  west 
of  Montreal.  They  went  up  the  Ottawa  river  by  canoe  until 
opposite  Georgian  Bay,  and  carried  their  canoes  across  the 
portage  to  the  bay,  and  then  paddled  along  the  shores  of  the 
lake  until  they  reached  the  mission  at  the  Sault.  This  jour- 
ney of  nearly  nine  hundred  miles  probably  occupied  most  of 
the  summer  of  1668.  A  year  later,  September,  1669,  we 
find  Marquette  again  on  the  move.  This  time  he  was  sent 
to  take  charge  of  the  mission  at  Pointe  es  Sprite,  or  La 
Pointe,  near  the  southwestern  extremity  of  Lake  Superior. 
In  about  two  years  after  his  arrival  at  this  place,  the  Indian 
tribes  with  whom  he  had  labored  were  obliged  to  abandon 
their  homes  and  flee  from  the  invasion  of  warring  tribes 
with  whom  they  had  become  involved  in  quarrels.  The 
mission  was  abandoned  and,  with  the  Indians,  Marquette 
turned  eastward  and  located  on  the  island  of  Mackinac  near 
where  the  waters  of  Superior  find  their  entrance  to  Lake 
Huron.  Here  a  mission  station  had  already  been  estab- 
lished ;  a  short  time  afterwards  it  was  removed  to  the  main- 
land on  the  north  shore  and  was  called  St.  Ignace.     The 

32 


thousands  of  tourists  and  visitors  who  every  summer  visit 
these  straits  and  wander  over  the  ground  made  memorable 
by  the  labors  of  these  early  missionaries,  try  to  dream  over 
the  records  suggested  by  the  scanty  markings  and  monu- 
ments, wondering  what  manner  of  men  these  must  have 
been. 

On  December  8,  Marquette,  here  at  the  mission  of  St. 
Ignace,  received  the  most  joyful  message  he  had  heard  since 
landing  in  the  New  World.  Upon  that  day,  just  as  winter 
was  closing  in,  a  lone  traveler  drew  his  birch-bark  canoe  up 
on  the  beach  beside  the  mission  station,  and,  meeting  the 
priest,  placed  in  his  hands  a  message  from  the  governor  of 
Canada.  This  traveler  was  Joliet,  and  this  day  the  names 
of  Marquette  and  Joliet  were  to  be  joined  for  register  and 
transmission  side  by  side  to  coming  generations. 

Joliet  was  the  son  of  a  wagon-maker.  He  had  been  born 
and  reared  in  Canada.  He  had  studied  for  the  priesthood, 
but  after  a  time  had  given  up  this  plan  for  the  more  adven- 
turous and  fascinating  life  of  an  explorer.  He  was  an 
unusually  bright  and  capable  man.  His  ability  won  the 
esteem  and  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
He  was  brave,  fearless,  energetic,  resourceful, — an  ideal  man 
for  explorations  among  the  wild  men  of  an  unbroken  wil- 
derness. 

For  years  the  governor  of  Canada  had  been  hearing 
rumors  of  a  great  river  to  the  south  and  west  of  the  lakes, 
and  he  was  desirous  of  knowing  more  about  it.  It  was 
uncertain  whether  this  river  emptied  into  the  Pacific  or  into 
the  Atlantic.  The  country  to  the  east  of  it  was  known  as  the 
Illinois  country  because  the  Illinois  Indians  were  living  along 
this  river.  It  came  about  that,  acting  under  orders  of  the 
French  king,  who  was  anxious  to  discover  this  unknown 
river,  the  governor  of  Canada  sought  to  find  some  one  who 
could  lead  an  expedition  into  the  wilderness  for  this  purpose. 
He  selected  Joliet,  the  son  of  the  wagon-maker. 

It  was  important  to  have  in  every  exploring  party  a  priest. 

33 


This  was  important  for  several  reasons.  The  church  and 
the  state  were  acting  together  as  one  in  this  work  of  opening 
up  the  New  World.  The  priest  was  usually  familiar  with 
the  Indian  languages  and  dialects,  and  could  thus  act  as  an 
interpreter;  he  was  known  by  this  dress  among  all  the 
tribes  of  the  great  valley,  because  where  he  had  not  been 
his  fame  had  preceded  him,  and  the  "black  robes"  were 
known  as  the  medicine  men  of  the  palefaces.  Joliet  had 
known  Marquette  in  the  early  days  at  Montreal  and  at 
Three  Rivers,  and  the  two  had  formed  a  liking  for  each 
other.  It  was  greatly  to  his  delight  that  Father  Marquette 
was  named  to  accompany  him  on  this  trip. 

It  was  this  commission  that  Joliet  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  priest  on  that  eighth  day  of  December,  1672.  Mar- 
quette had  for  years  been  looking  with  longing  eyes  toward 
the  Illinois  country.  He  had  prayed  that  it  might  be  per- 
mitted him  to  go  forth  as  a  pioneer  missionary  among  these 
people,  carrying  them  the  gospel,  living  and  dying  among 
them.  Upon  this  night  his  prayer  was  answered,  and  Mar- 
quette was  happy.  He  had  never  been  a  rugged  man.  He 
had  the  physique  of  a  scholar  and  a  civilian  rather  than  that 
of  an  explorer,  and  so  it  came  about  that  the  life  to  which 
this  message  consigned  him  was  to  lead  to  an  early  grave  as 
the  result  of  exposure  and  over-exertion. 

All  winter  Marquette  and  Joliet  were  making  their  prepa- 
rations for  the  journey.  They  gathered  all  the  information 
they  could  about  the  country,  its  people,  its  languages  and 
its  streams.  On  the  seventeenth  of  May,  1673,  a  little 
group  of  people  gathered  on  the  beach  at  St.  Ignace  to  see 
the  two  depart.  They  took  with  them  five  oarsmen  to 
propel  their  boats.  With  Joliet  in  one  boat  and  Marquette 
in  the  other,  after  the  prayers  and  blessings  of  the  priest  on 
shore,  the  boats  were  pushed  out  and  the  eventful  voyage 
was  begun. 

They  followed  the  west  shore  of  Lake  Michigan  to  Green 
Bay.    Entering  this,  they  proceeded  to  the  mission  station 

34 


of  St.  Xavier.  Here  they  rested  a  while  with  the  priests  and 
people  of  this  mission ;  then,  pushing  on,  they  proceeded  to 
the  head  of  Green  Bay,  then  up  the  Fox  river  to  Winnebago 
lake;  then,  branching  off  to  the  west,  they  followed  the 
Fox  river  until  they  came  to  the  large  Indian  village  of  the 
Mascoutees.  They  had  heard  much  of  this  village,  and  it 
was  here  they  expected  to  receive  information  concerning 
the  peoples  and  the  lands  they  were  to  visit.  They  found  the 
savages  friendly  and  ready  with  information  giving  definite 
location  to  the  great  river  which  flowed  away  to  the  south, 
they  knew  not  how  far,  but  stated  that  it  was  beset  with 
great  monsters  and  that  its  banks  were  inhabited  by  blood- 
thirsty tribes  that  would  permit  none  to  pass.  They  tried  to 
persuade  the  adventurers  to  return  the  way  they  came,  but, 
failing  in  this,  they  readily  supplied  guides  to  show  them  the 
way  over  the  portage  to  a  river  which  they  said  would  flow 
into  the  great  river.  A  short  journey  brought  them  to  the 
river  sought;  it  was  what  is  now  known  as  the  Wisconsin. 
Here  they  held  a  religious  service,  then  embarked,  and  in  a 
few  days, — on  June  17, — they  floated  out  through  the  mouth 
of  the  Wisconsin  upon  the  bosom  of  the  great  river,  the 
Mississippi.  Perhaps  these  were  the  first  Europeans  since 
the  days  of  DeSoto  (1541)  that  had  looked  upon  the  waters 
of  the  great  river.  The  discovery  of  DeSoto  had  been 
forgotten,  so  we  may  well  say  these  men  were  the  discoverers 
of  the  river,  coming  upon  it  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin. 
We  cannot  follow  all  the  known  details  of  this  journey, 
but  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  June  they  saw  tracks  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  river.  Joliet  and  Marquette  landed,  and  after 
following  the  tracks  for  five  or  six  miles  across  a  beautiful 
prairie,  they  came  to  an  Indian  village.  Calling  aloud  for 
some  one  to  come  out,  they  were  answered  by  a  swarm  of 
savages  who  sent  four  of  their  old  men  to  meet  them  bear- 
ing calumets,  or  peace-pipes.  Marquette  asked  them  who 
they  were.  They  replied  that  they  were  Illini,  which  in 
their  language  means  "men."    By  this  name  they  were  ever 

35 


after  known,  and  the  name  has  come  down  to  our  state,  and 
many  times,  under  a  more  cultured  civilization,  the  palefaces 
have  acted  less  like  men  than  did  these  primitive  red  men  of 
the  prairies.  Leaving  this  village,  Marquette  and  Joliet 
proceeded  on  their  journey,  with  many  interesting  incidents, 
until  they  had  gone  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas 
river.  Here,  fearing  that  the  tribes  along  the  shore  might  do 
them  harm,  and  finding  that  some  of  them  had  firearms, 
and  believing  that  they  had  determined  the  course  and  outlet 
of  the  great  river,  they  decided  to  return.  On  their  upward 
journey,  when  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  river 
they  decided  to  ascend  it  and  attempt  to  get  back  to  the 
lakes  in  that  way.  Marquette  wrote  that  in  all  their  wander- 
ings they  had  seen  nothing  like  this  valley  of  the  Illinois 
"as  to  its  fertility  of  soil,  its  prairie  and  its  woods;  its 
cattle,  elk,  deer  and  bustards,  ducks  and  beavers."  After 
more  than  two  hundred  years,  we  who  live  upon  the  produce 
of  that  valley  agree  most  fully  with  his  estimate  of  its  riches. 

Below  Ottawa,  near  the  present  site  of  Utica,  they  found  a 
village  of  Kaskaskia  Indians.  They  spent  some  time  here 
and  were  furnished  with  guides  to  conduct  them  by  the  best 
route  to  the  lake.  They  ascended  the  Illinois,  then  the  Des- 
plaines,  until  they  came  to  the  divide  which  separates  the 
Desplaines  valley  from  the  lake,  and,  carrying  their  canoes 
over  the  ridge,  were  again  able  to  paddle  upon  either  the 
Chicago  or  the  Calumet  river — we  are  not  sure  which — to 
Lake  Michigan.  The  travelers  at  once  pushed  for  the  north 
along  the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  past  the  present  sites 
of  Evanston,  Racine,  Milwaukee,  and  on  and  oh  until 
they  reached  Green  Bay  and,  at  the  end  of  September, 
pulled  their  worn  canoes  up  at  the  mission  of  St.  Xavier 
after  an  absence  of  little  more  than  four  months. 

What  a  journey  they  had  made !  What  a  record  to  carry 
back  to  the  governor  of  Canada  and  to  send  home  to  the 
French  king!  Joliet  could  not  go  back  to  Canada  during 
the  winter,  so  he  worked  on  his  report.     Marquette  also 

36 


wrote  out  a  report  of  their  expedition.  By  the  irony  of 
fate,  the  next  spring,  when  he  had  reached  within  a  few  miles 
of  Montreal,  Joliet  was  capsized  in  his  canoe,  his  crew  were 
all  drowned,  and  he  barely  escaped  with  his  life,  while  his 
precious  manuscripts  were  lost  forever.  So  no  written  report 
of  the  itinerary  could  be  made  by  him,  and  it  was  not  until 
some  years  after  that  the  report  made  by  Marquette  was 
obtained  and  published  in  France.  Joliet  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  rewarded  in  any  adequate  way  by  the  French 
for  his  wonderful  achievement,  and  in  history  to  this  day 
his  name  is  regarded  as  second  to  that  of  Marquette  in 
the  discoveries  and  explorations  in  which  they  shared.  So 
this  man,  burning  for  fame  and  public  recognition,  was 
passed  by,  while  the  humble  priest,  who  desired  neither 
fame  nor  recognition,  became  the  chief  authority  in  this 
world-wide  story. 

With  the  fortune  of  Joliet  we  have  nothing  more  to  do, 
but  we  shall  follow  Marquette  a  little  longer.  When  they 
left  the  Kaskaskia  Indians  on  the  Illinois  river,  Father 
Marquette  had  promised  them  that  he  would  return  to  them 
to  teach  them  the  gospel.  He  was  very  anxious  to  return 
as  soon  as  possible.  But  the  exposure  on  the  trip  had  so 
broken  his  health  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  start  at 
once  upon  another  journey.  Spring  came,  and  he  hoped 
that  with  the  warmer  weather  he  would  grow  stronger,  but 
the  days  of  summer  came  and  went,  finding  him  still  at  the 
little  mission  station  at  Green  Bay.  But  in  the  autumn  he 
thought  he  had  sufficiently  recovered  to  undertake  the  jour- 
ney. So  in  October,  with  two  Frenchmen  for  companions 
and  guides,  he  set  out  upon  the  trip.  They  slowly  pulled 
their  canoe  along  the  shore,  the  priest  walking  much  of  the 
time,  to  vary  the  monotony  and  to  relieve  his  sickness,  which 
returned  upon  him  and  seemed  worse  in  the  cramped  posi- 
tion in  the  boat.  Finally,  upon  the  fourth  of  December  they 
pulled  into  the  Chicago  river,  which  was  frozen  to  the  depth 
of  half  a  foot.    Here  Marquette  was  so  much  worse  it  was 

37 


impossible  to  go  farther.  Making  a  rude  sledge,  his  com- 
panions, aided  by  some  friendly  Pottawattomies,  drew  him 
over  the  ice  to  a  place  about  five  miles  from  the  shore  of  the 
lake,  and  here,  building  a  rude  hut  for  shelter,  they  decided 
to  winter.  So  here,  upon  the  very  site  of  our  Chicago,  out 
somewhere  on  the  west  branch  of  our  river,  this  great  man, 
heroic  in  his  courage  and  faith,  passed  the  dreary  winter 
of  1674-5,  far  from  his  home  and  far  from  even  the  rude 
conveniences  of  life,  yet  happy  and  serene,  waiting  for  what 
might  yet  be  in  store  for  him  to  do  or  endure.  When  spring 
came  Marquette  was  better  and  they  proceeded  slowly  upon 
their  way.  They  spent  eleven  days  in  reaching  the  Kas- 
kaskia  village.  The  people  here  received  him  with  every 
demonstration  of  joy.  He  taught  them  for  a  few  days, 
establishing  among  them  the  mission  of  the  Immaculate 
Conception,  then  calling  them  all  together  in  the  open  air 
upon  the  plain,  he  preached  to  them  his  farewell  sermon 
and  gave  them  his  parting  advice  and  blessing.  He  felt  that 
he  had  only  a  few  weeks  longer  to  live,  and  wished,  if  he 
might,  to  reach  St.  Ignace  in  time  to  die.  Many  of  the 
Kaskaskia  Indians  accompanied  him  almost  to  the  lake, 
showing  him  every  token  of  love  possible  to  their  rude 
natures.  Crossing  the  portage  to  the  Chicago  river,  they 
entered  the  lake,  and,  in  order  to  reach  St.  Ignace,  they 
wound  around  the  southern  end  of  the  lake  and  up  its 
eastern  shore.  The  journey  was  slow.  Father  Marquette 
was  daily  growing  weaker.  Near  the  spot  where  the  city  of 
Ludington,  Michigan,  now  stands,  they  pulled  their  boats  to 
shore.  It  was  the  good  father's  last  landing.  About  mid- 
night, sheltered  by  a  rude  hut  of  bark,  gently  talking  and 
praying  with  the  men  who  had  been  his  companions,  he 
quietly  passed  away.  It  was  May  18,  1675.  The  next 
spring,  some  Indians,  to  whom  Marquette  had  preached  the 
gospel  way  over  on  the  west  end  of  Lake  Superior,  came  to 
his  grave  in  the  woods  and,  disinterring  the  body,  cleaned 
the  bones  after  the  Indian  fashion,  and  reverently  carried 

38 


them  to  the  mission  of  St.  Ignace,  where  they  found  resting^ 
place  in  the  little  chapel. 

We  have  spent  so  much  time  upon  this  narrative  because 
it  seems  that  here  we  have  a  character  that  measured  up  to 
the  full  height  of  a  type  among  the  missionary  explorers 
who  opened  up  the  interior  of  this  country  to  civilization 
and  settlement.  No  one,  young  or  old,  can  study  the  life  of 
Marquette  without  profit,  and  to  us  who  live  in  the  valley  of 
the  fertile  rivers  and  along  the  great  lake  which  his  canoe 
threaded  in  his  weary  journeys,  his  name  and  life  should  be 
household  themes. 


39 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  STORY  OF  LASALLE 

Father  Marquette  died  on  the  eighteenth  of  June,  1673. 
His  bones  had  been  lying  for  four  summers  under  the  little 
chapel  where  his  loving  followers  had  placed  them  in  1676, 
when  one  bright  autumn  morning  the  people  of  St.  Ignace 
were  startled  by  the  appearance  of  a  ship  with  sails  ap- 
proaching the  beach.  Savages,  missionaries  and  traders 
gazed  in  astonishment  at  it  as  it  swept  proudly  up  to  a 
place  of  anchorage.  Then  a  discharge  of  cannon  from  her 
sides  sent  the  frightened  savages  off  on  a  run  for  shelter 
from  this  new  engine  of  destruction  which  thus  announced 
the  advent  of  a  floating  fortress  upon  the  Great  Lakes.  On 
board  this  ship  were  two  of  the  most  remarkable  men  ever 
sent  from  France  to  the  New  World.  These  men  were 
LaSalle  and  his  Italian-born  lieutenant,  Henri  de  Tonti. 

It  would  be  too  long  a  story  to  tell  of  all  of  LaSalle's 
experiences  in  Canada  and  around  the  lakes  and  rivers  east 
of  Michigan.  Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  he  came  to  Canada 
in  1666,  the  same  year  as  Marquette.  He  had  been  educated 
for  the  priesthood  but  had  chosen  to  turn  aside  for  the  life 
of  an  explorer  and  trader.  He  had  probably  discovered  the 
Ohio  river,  and  had  possibly  gone  as  far  as  Michigan,  and 
perhaps  had  been  on  the  Illinois  river  before  we  meet  him 
on  this  September  morning  casting  anchor  on  the  beach  at 
St.  Ignace.    He  was  one  of  the  most  unfortunate  men  in 

40 


all  history.  From  the  time  we  are  first  introduced 
to  him  until  the  day  of  his  death  his  ill-fortune  seldom 
varied.  In  all  his  career,  from  1666,  when  he  first  landed 
in  Canada,  until  1687,  when  he  was  assassinated  by  a  faith- 
less follower  in  the  swamps  of  Texas,  we  read  of  a  con- 
tinuous series  of  disasters.  He  seems  to  have  been  gifted 
with  the  fatal  quality  of  making  enemies  of  all  with  whom 
he  came  in  contact,  except  the  wild  Indians  of  the  forest. 
Even  the  rosy,  fat  priest,  Father  Hennepin,  whom  he 
brought  with  him  on  this  expedition,  turned  against  him, 
lied  about  him  when  living  and  attempted  to  steal  his  laurels 
when  dead.  His  brother,  another  priest,  annoyed  him, 
obstructed  him,  followed  him  from  place  to  place,  and  in 
the  last  scene  of  his  career  was  little  better  than  an  accom- 
plice in  his  death.  Yet,  in  spite  of  financial  disasters,  of  the 
desertion  by  friends,  of  losses  by  fires  and  flood,  of  wander- 
ings through  trackless  forests  and  amid  freezing  swamps 
for  days  together;  in  spite  of  sickness  and  of  enemies,  of 
betrayals  and  shipwreck,  this  remarkable  man  persevered  in 
his  original  purpose  until  he  had  threaded  this  vast  country 
from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  back 
and  forth  several  times,  handing  down  to  the  future  a 
record  of  endurance  and  heroism  which  his  own  times  could 
neither  understand  nor  appreciate.  So  far  as  is  known,  the 
only  two  human  beings  who  were  true  to  him  in  life  and  in 
death  were  his  trusty  lieutenant,  the  Italian  Tonti,  and  his 
faithful  Mohegan  hunter,  Nika. 

At  Niagara,  just  above  the  falls,  LaSalle  had  built  his 
ship,  the  Griffin,  of  forty  tons'  burden,  and  provided  her 
with  five  cannon.  He  intended  to  use  her  to  aid  in  carrying 
on  a  trade  in  furs  along  the  Lakes  and  to  convey  the  supplies 
he  might  need  from  Canada  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Michigan. 
The  great  enterprise  he  had  on  his  mind  was  to  follow  the 
Mississippi  to  its  mouth,  then  to  establish  a  line  of  forts  and 
settlements  from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf,  gathering  the 
Indians  into  a  great  confederacy  for  trade.    It  was  a  great 

41 


scheme.  If  the  jealousies  of  white  men  had  been  no  more 
bitter  than  the  enmities  of  the  red  men,  he  might  have 
accomplished  his  purpose  within  a  few  years. 

The  Griffin  had  brought  her  first  load  successfully  to 
St.  Ignace.  Here  she  took  on  what  furs  the  agent  of 
LaSalle  had  stored  at  that  place,  thence  proceeded  to  Green 
Bay,  where  she  received  sufficient  furs  to  load  her.  At 
this  place  LaSalle  turned  her  over  to  the  pilot  to  be  taken 
back  to  Niagara,  where  she  was  to  be  unloaded,  and,  taking 
on  new  supplies,  was  to  meet  him  at  the  foot  of  Lake 
Michigan. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  September,  1679,  the  Griffin  turned 
to  the  east  on  her  homeward  trip.  LaSalle  never  saw  her 
more.  Whether  wrecked  in  a  storm,  sunk  by  accident  or 
design,  the  prey  of  the  elements  or  of  his  enemies,  LaSalle 
never  knew.    Her  valuable  cargo  was  lost. 

With  the  things  they  had  taken  from  the  Griffin  for  use 
in  their  trip,  they  loaded  their  canoes  and,  dividing  into 
two  parties,  started  down  the  lake.  LaSalle  was  to  go  by 
the  western  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  along  the  same  route 
taken  some  years  before  by  Marquette,  while  Tonti  with 
most  of  the  men  was  to  go  by  the  eastern  shore.  They  were 
to  meet  at  a  point  designated  near  the  foot  of  the  lake. 
LaSalle  journeyed  down  the  lake,  passed  the  Chicago  river, 
and,  skirting  the  shore-line  at  the  end  of  the  lake,  arrived 
at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  river.  Here  he  should  have 
met  Tonti,  but  it  was  twenty  days  before  Tonti  arrived  after 
a  very  difficult  journey  down  the  lake.  While  waiting, 
LaSalle  built  a  fort,  called  Fort  Miami,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Joseph.  This  was  to  be  his  way-station  between  the 
Illinois  country  and  the  head  of  the  Great  Lakes.  They 
waited  here  long  enough  for  the  Griffin  to  put  in  an  appear- 
ance, but  as  she  did  not  come,  LaSalle  determined  to  pro- 
ceed as  they  were.  Going  up  the  St.  Joseph  river  until 
they  came  to  the  bend,  they  shouldered  their  freight  and 
their  canoes,  and  in  this  way  crossed  the  portage  to  the 

42 


sources  of  the  Kankakee  river.  There  were  thirty-three  in 
the  party  at  this  time. 

It  was  on  the  third  day  of  December,  1679,  that  they  set 
out  for  the  Illinois  from  Fort  Miami.  After  reaching 
the  stream  of  the  Kankakee  their  journey  was  not  very 
difficult.  The  country  through  which  they  passed  was 
attractive  and  pleasant,  but  at  this  time  of  the  year  game 
was  scarce,  so  they  suffered  for  food  part  of  the  time.  In 
a  few  days  they  were  floating  between  the  bluffs  at  the 
present  site  of  Ottawa,  where  the  Fox  river  empties  into  the 
Illinois.  Soon  they  came  to  the  beautiful  plain  where  Utica 
now  stands,  bordered  on  the  south  by  high  bluffs,  the  most 
notable  point  of  which  was  the  great  rocky  bluff  known  to 
us  as  Starved  Rock.  Here,  spread  out  on  the  plain,  was 
an  Indian  village.  Hennepin  says  he  counted  four  hundred 
and  sixty  lodges.  They  were  made  long  like  covered 
baggage-wagons,  each  one  of  them  housing  several  fami- 
lies. A  framework  of  poles  was  covered  by  woven  mats, 
and  the  interior  was  divided  into  parts  for  the  different 
families  by  stretching  mats  across  from  side  to  side.  An 
open  place  in  the  center  was  left  for  the  common  fire,  and  a 
hole  in  the  roof  permitted  a  part  of  the  smoke  to  escape. 

When  LaSalle  and  his  party  landed  at  this  village,  during 
Christmas  week  of  1679,  not  a  sign  of  life  could  be  seen. 
There  were  the  houses  and  all  the  indications  of  a  populous 
town,  but  the  people  were  not  to  be  found.  They  had  gone, 
as  was  their  custom,  upon  their  annual  hunting  expedition. 
LaSalle  was  in  need  of  food,  and  was  much  disappointed  at 
not  finding  the  Indians.  They  hunted  about  until  they  dis- 
covered the  place  where  the  Indians  had  buried  their  corn. 
LaSalle  took  what  he  needed,  leaving  in  its  place  hatchets, 
beads  and  other  things  to  pay  for  the  corn.  They  then 
pushed  on  down  the  river.  On  the  first  of, January  they 
reached  Peoria  lake.  Along  this  lake  he  met  some  of  the 
Indians  belonging  to  the  village  beside  the  rock.  He 
explained  what  he  had  done  in  taking  the  corn,  and  satisfied 

43 


their  demands.  He  gained  permission  from  the  Indians  to 
build  a  fort  and  a  ship  on  the  river,  but  they  were  not  very 
friendly,  and,  fearing  to  remain  among  them,  LaSalle  took 
his  men  a  little  below  the  lake,  and  there  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  selected  a  spot  on  a  slight  elevation  upon  which  to 
erect  his  fort.  This  fort,  built  of  logs  and  surrounded  by  a 
palisade,  he  called  Crevecoeur,  the  fort  of  the  broken  heart. 
He  had  given  up  all  hope  of  hearing  from  his  ship,  the 
Griffin.  He  learned  through  a  messenger  that  his  creditors 
were  seizing  his  property  in  Canada,  and  his  men  about  him 
were  growing  discontented  and  sullen.  It  was  a  dark  time, 
and  Crevecoeur  was  a  fitting  name  for  the  fort,  the  first 
built  on  the  soil  of  Illinois.  It  was  better  named  than  he 
even  then  dreamed. 

Six  of  his  men  had  already  deserted.  He  began  building 
a  large  boat,  expecting  to  sail  it  down  to  the  Mississippi 
and  thence  to  the  Gulf.  This  kept  his  people  busy.  He 
decided  to  return  to  Canada  for  additional  supplies.  In  the 
meantime  he  decided  to  send  Father  Hennepin  upon  an 
exploring  expedition  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois 
and  thence  up  the  Mississippi.  The  adventures  of  Hennepin 
were  thrilling  and  entertaining.  Had  he  been  honest,  his 
name  might  have  come  down  to  us  only  second  to  that  of 
his  great  leader  in  the  expedition. 

It  was  the  third  of  March,  1680,  when  LaSalle  started  on 
that  long  journey  of  fifteen  hundred  miles  through  the  path- 
less wilderness  with  no  one  to  guide  him.  With  his  Indian 
hunter  and  four  Frenchmen,  the  journey  was  begun.  The 
river  was  frozen,  so  most  of  the  way  they  had  to  carry  their 
canoes  or  drag  them  over  the  snow.  At  the  village  by  the 
Rock  he  found  the  people  still  absent,  but  he  examined  the 
location  of  the  Rock  and  at  the  first  opportunity  sent  word 
back  to  Tonti  to  occupy  the  place  and  build  a  fort  on  its  top. 
On  March  23  they  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Calumet  river, 
and  on  the  24th  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph,  where  he 
found  two  men  awaiting  him  in  the  fort.    Here  he  learned 

44 


of  the  total  disappearance  of  the  Griffin.  He  sent  these  two 
men  on  to  Tonti  with  word  to  fortify  the  Rock  while  he 
pushed  on  to  Canada. 

On  this  trip  many  times  they  were  forced  to  wade  through 
snow  waist-deep  for  days  together.  Sometimes  they  were 
obliged  to  sleep  for  several  nights  in  succession  upon  the 
open  prairie  with  nothing  with  which  to  build  a  fire.  Their 
clothes,  wet  with  rain  and  snow,  if  taken  off  for  the  night, 
froze  stiff  so  they  could  not  put  them  on  in  the  morning. 
Yet  in  sixty-five  days  from  starting  they  drew  up  at  Fort 
Frontenac. 

We  shall  not  pursue  the  details  of  LaSalle's  experiences 
with  his  creditors  nor  his  efforts  to  get  money  and  supplies. 
It  was  enough  that  he  succeeded,  and  on  the  tenth  of 
August,  with  twenty-five  men,  started  back  for  the  Illinois 
country  to  join  Tonti.  This  time  he  went  by  the  way  of 
Georgian  Bay  and  the  Straits  of  Mackinac.  When  he 
reached  his  fort  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  he  found  it 
destroyed.  He  heard  rumors  of  a  war  party  of  Iroquois 
Indians.  He  hastened  on  to  find  Tonti,  fearing  he  might 
have  met  with  disaster.  They  made  their  way  down  the 
Illinois  river  as  rapidly  as  they  could.  Where  it  had  been 
so  quiet  on  their  previous  trip  they  now  found  a  multitude 
of  living  creatures.  The  prairies  were  filled  with  herds  of 
buffaloes.  Wild  game  was  abundant  on  every  hand.  They 
came  to  the  Rock,  but  LaSalle  looked  in  vain  for  some 
sign  of  a  palisade  or  other  indication  of  Tonti's  work.  They 
came  to  the  village  of  the  Illinois;  here  destruction  of  the 
worst  type  presented  itself.  Every  hut  had  disappeared. 
Nothing  but  the  blackened  and  burned  remnants  of  the  poles 
of  the  four  hundred  and  sixty  huts  remained  to  tell  that  a 
great  village  had  been  there  only  a  few  weeks  before. 

Worse  than  that,  they  found  the  ground  covered  with  the 
bodies  of  the  dead.  Even  the  graves  had  been  broken  open, 
and  the  bones  had  been  scattered  about  and  the  skulls  set 
up  on  stakes.    They  looked  in  vain  for  signs  of  Frenchmen 

45 


among  the  dead.  Leaving  three  men  hid  with  most  of  their 
supplies,  LaSalle,  with  the  rest  of  his  party,  pushed  down 
the  river.  They  found  that  the  Illinois  had  retreated  down 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  while  their  enemies,  the  Iroquois, 
had  followed  on  the  opposite  bank.  Their  camps  had  been 
made  opposite  each  other  as  the  retreat  progressed.  They 
came  to  the  Fort  Crevecoeur.  It  also  was  in  ruins.  There 
were  no  signs  to  tell  them  what  had  become  of  Tonti.  They 
continued  their  way  down  the  river.  Near  its  mouth  they 
found  that  the  Illinois  had  abandoned  their  women  and  had 
fled.  The  Iroquois  had  captured  something  like  a  thousand 
women  and  children.  Many  of  them  they  had  tied  to  the 
stake  and  killed  with  horrible  torture.  Some  of  them  they 
had  eaten.  The  awful  scenes  were  on  every  hand.  LaSalle 
continued  until,  on  the  sixth  day  of  December,  1680,  they 
floated  out  into  the  Mississippi.  This  was  the  first  LaSalle 
had  seen  of  the  great  river  of  which  he  had  dreamed  by  day 
and  night  through  so  many  weary  months.  But  he  could 
not  stop  now.  He  must  needs  return  at  once;  the  ruins 
behind  him  must  be  repaired,  and  the  lost  Tonti  must  be 
sought.  On  the  eleventh  of  December  he  was  back  at  the 
ruined  village  beside  the  Rock.  Here  they  found  the  three 
men  they  had  left  with  the  supplies,  and,  collecting  a  quan- 
tity of  half-burned  corn  from  the  ruins  of  the  village,  they 
started  on  their  return  up  the  river.  On  the  sixth  of  January 
they  reached  the  junction  of  the  Kankakee  with  the  Illinois, 
and  here  LaSalle  discovered  in  the  woods  a  piece  of  tree 
that  had  been  cut  with  a  saw.  He  was  delighted,  as  he 
understood  from  this  that  Tonti  must  have  passed  this  way 
and  was  probably  safe.  The  river  was  frozen,  so  they  left 
their  canoes  and  proceeded  on  foot  toward  St.  Joseph.  It 
was  very  cold.  Snow  fell  nineteen  days  in  succession  as  they 
waded  across  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of  open  prairie. 
They  were  half  starved  and  almost  worn  out  when  at  last 
they  reached  Fort  Miami,  where  they  found  one  of  LaSalle's 
lieutenants  with  twelve  men  who  had  reached  this  place  and 

46 


were  awaiting  some  word  from  him  before  advancing.  They 
had  repaired  the  fort  and  had  gathered  plenty  of  fuel  and 
provisions,  but  they  had  heard  no  word  from  Tonti. 

What  had  become  of  Tonti  ?  When  LaSalle  left  him  the 
previous  March  his  men  at  once  became  mutinous.  They 
had  lost  faith  in  the  success  of  LaSalle,  and  did  not  believe 
they  would  ever  get  pay  for  the  time  they  had  put  in  with 
him.  Some  of  them  deserted,  while  others  were  surly  and 
discontented.  Then  came  the  word  from  LaSalle  to  fortify 
the  Rock.  Tonti  set  out  to  do  this  with  part  of  the  men, 
leaving  the  others  at  the  fort.  No  sooner  was  he  gone  than 
part  of  the  men  deliberately  dismantled  the  fort,  threw  the 
forge  and  tools  into  the  river,  destroyed  everything  they 
could,  and  left  the  place.  The  three  or  four  trusty  men 
left  hurried  up  the  river  to  inform  Tonti.  Tonti  made  a 
trip  down^the  river,  recovered  the  forge  and  part  of  the 
tools,  and  carried  them  back  to  the  village  by  the  Rock.  To 
avoid  all  suspicion  on  the  part  of  the  Indians,  Tonti  took 
up  his  residence  in  a  hut  in  the  midst  of  the  savages.  Here 
he  brought  all  that  was  left  of  their  supplies,  and  here,  with 
his  half  dozen  companions,  lived  with  the  Indians  during  the 
summer. 

Early  in  the  fall,  without  warning  or  suspicion,  an 
alarmed  scout  brought  word  to  the  village  that  the  Iroquois 
were  coming,  only  a  day's  march  away;  and,  what  was 
worse,  he  reported  that  they  were  led  by  Frenchmen  and 
that  one  of  the  leaders  was  LaSalle.  Tonti  did  all  that 
he  could  to  convince  them  that  it  could  not  be  true,  and 
offered  to  go  out  with  them  to  fight  the  Iroquois.  The 
angry  Indians  sacked  his  hut,  took  all  his  supplies,  including 
the  forge  and  tools,  and  threw  them  into  the  river.  By 
great  tact  and  courage,  Tonti  saved  the  lives  of  his  party. 
But  the  Iroquois  were  at  hand ;  the  attack  was  made.  Tonti 
rushed  in  between  the  contending  hosts  and  tried  to  bring 
about  a  cessation  of  the  fight.  After  a  parley  with  the 
Iroquois  an  agreement  was  reached ;  but  when  the  Iroquois 

47 


found  what  an  easy  victory  they  might  win,  they  were  very 
angry,  and  broke  the  treaty,  telling  Tonti  and  his  compan- 
ions to  leave  the  country  at  once.  Tonti  could  do  no  more 
for  his  friends,  the  Illinois  Indians;  they  were  doomed  to 
certain  defeat ;  so,  stealing  quietly  away  with  a  canoe,  they 
set  off  up  the  river  to  find  LaSalle.  Unfortunately,  they 
went  by  the  way  of  the  Chicago  river  and  Green  Bay,  while 
LaSalle  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake.  Months  after- 
ward they  met  at  Michillimackinac. 

It  would  seem  that  LaSalle  was  ruined  and  that  he  would 
give  up  in  despair.  But  he  was  not  thus  made.  His 
courage  was  beyond  measure. 

On  December  21,  1681,  we  find  LaSalle  and  Tonti  with  a 
party  of  twenty-three  Frenchmen  and  about  a  score  of 
Indians  once  again  starting  from  Fort  Miami  for  the  Illinois 
country.  He  had  been  carrying  on  negotiations  with  the 
various  Illinois  tribes,  trying  to  persuade  them  to  settle  again 
at  the  old  village,  while  he  should  fortify  the  Rock  and 
act  as  their  protector  against  the  Iroquois  Indians.  He  was 
now  starting  out  to  fulfill  his  part  of  the  agreement.  It 
was  the  dead  of  winter,  and  their  canoes  and  luggage  and 
the  sick  had  to  be  placed  on  sledges  and  dragged  over  the 
snow.  Thus  they  crossed  the  site  of  Chicago  and  the  divide 
between  the  lake  and  the  Desplaines  river.  They  reached 
the  site  of  the  Illinois  village,  but  found  it  still  deserted. 
They  proceeded  on  down  the  river,  past  Fort  Crevecoeur 
and  on  to  the  Mississippi,  and  then  on  and  on,  and  still  on, 
until  on  the  ninth  of  April,  1682,  their  boats  passed  out  of 
the  river  into  the  surging  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
LaSalle  had  attained  the  long-desired  dream.  He  had  fol- 
lowed the  great  river,  of  which  all  Europe  had  heard  so 
many  rumors,  to  its  mouth.  He  divided  his  party  into 
three  sections,  and  each  taking  a  different  branch,  all  came 
together  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  proving  that  it  emptied 
into  the  gulf  by  at  least  three  channels.  Here  LaSalle  with 
great  ceremony  took  possession  of  the  country  drained  by 

48 


the  great  river  and  all  its  tributaries  in  the  name  of  King 
Louis  of  France,  and  named  the  valley  Louisiana. 

Then  began  the  journey  back  up  the  river,  leaving  behind 
them  a  post  upon  which  had  been  nailed  the  arms  of  France 
pounded  out  of  an  old  copper  kettle.  On  the  way,  LaSalle 
became  sick  from  a  fever  and  had  to  stay  for  months  at  an 
extemporized  fort,  Prud  Homme,  near  the  present  site  of 
Natchez.  He  sent  Tonti  on  to  go  to  Canada  to  report  the 
result  of  his  venture  and  to  see  that  an  account  was  sent  to 
the  king. 

In  December  of  the  same  year,  1682,  LaSalle  and  Tonti 
were  at  the  village  of  the  Illinois.  Here  they  carried  out 
the  original  purpose  of  fortifying  the  Rock.  They  brought 
all  the  supplies  they  had  or  could  gather  to  the  Rock,  erected 
a  fort  on  its  top,  and  surrounded  it  with  a  palisade.  The 
Indians,  gathering  confidence  because  of  the  fort,  began 
to  collect  at  the  village  again,  until  in  the  shadow  of  the 
Rock,  now  named  Fort  St.  Louis,  it  was  estimated  that  over 
twenty  thousand  Indians  had  their  tents  pitched.  Here 
was  the  best  fortified  place  established  by  LaSalle  in  the 
present  state  of  Illinois.  Here  we  might  leave  him,  for  in 
the  spring  of  1683  he  left  Fort  St.  Louis,  intending  to  go  to 
Canada,  and  thence  to  France  to  interest  the  king  in  his 
projects.    He  never  saw  his  Fort  St.  Louis  again. 

LaSalle  made  his  way  to  France,  persuaded  the  king  to 
approve  and  aid  him  in  his  plans,  and  finally,  in  July,  1684, 
left  France,  with  four  ships  and  ample  supplies,  intending 
to  enter  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  establish  a  colony, 
and  then  ascend  to  Fort  St.  Louis  of  the  Illinois.  His  usual 
bad  luck  followed  him.  The  leaders  quarreled.  The  vessels 
missed  the  mouth  of  the  river.  They  landed  four  hundred 
miles  west  of  the  river.  Three  of  the  ships  were  wrecked, 
the  fourth  finally  returned  to  France,  leaving  LaSalle  with 
about  a  hundred  of  his  colonists  in  an  unknown  country, 
which  has  since  proved  to  have  been  the  coast  of  the 
present  state  of  Texas.     Here  they  suffered  and  many  of 

49 


them  died  from  fevers  and  other  diseases,  LaSalle  vainly 
trying  to  find  the  river. 

Finally,  about  the  first  of  January,  1687,  LaSalle  deter- 
mined to  make  a  desperate  attempt  to  reach  the  river,  then 
proceed  to  Canada  and  send  word  to  France,  that  help  might 
be  sent  to  the  lost  colony.  With  a  small  party  he  set  out 
and  had  proceeded  as  far  as  the  Trinity  river,  when  dissen- 
sions broke  out  among  the  members  of  the  party,  and 
LaSalle  was  waylaid  and  treacherously  shot  to  death.  There 
died  with  him  in  as  foul  a  manner  his  faithful  Indian  hunter, 
Nika,  his  nephew,  and  another  companion.  A  few  of  his 
party  reached  the  Illinois,  went  on  to  Canada  and  returned 
to  France.  Of  the  remnant  of  the  colony  left  in  Texas,  not 
one  escaped  to  tell  the  tale  of  their  sufferings  and  disasters. 
Months  afterwards,  Tonti,  not  knowing  his  leader  was  dead, 
set  out  to  seek  him  in  the  wilds  of  Texas  and  came  upon 
the  ruins  of  the  place  that  had  sheltered  them.  All  had 
been  killed  by  Indians. 

Thus  ends  the  story  of  LaSalle  so  far  as  the  country  con- 
nected with  Illinois  has  to  do.  He  was  a  brave,  patient, 
much  suffering  man.  He  opened  the  way  for  the  French 
settlers  to  enter  the  Mississippi  valley  both  by  way  of  the 
north  and  of  the  south.  He  deserved  a  title  of  nobility  and 
great  wealth  from  his  country ;  instead,  he  was  denied  even 
a  grave  after  his  death  at  the  hands  of  villainous  assassins 
beside  the  murky  river  in  the  dreary  wilderness  near  the 
Gulf. 


50 


CHAPTER  V 

FRENCH    OCCUPATION    OF   THE    MISSISSIPPI   VALLEY 

LaSalle  was  assassinated  in  the  southern  wilderness 
early  in  1687.  Tonti  held  his  post  on  the  Rock,  called  Fort 
St.  Louis,  protecting  the  Indian  tribes  that  had  been  induced 
to  settle  in  the  neighborhood,  and  waiting  for  reinforce- 
ments from  the  home  country.  The  reinforcements  never 
came.  France  was  not  a  successful  colonizing  country.  The 
king  and  the  French  cabinet  did  not  realize  until  it  was  for- 
ever too  late  the  value  of  their  interests  in  the  New  World. 

When  Father  Marquette  visited  the  Kaskaskia  Indians 
prior  to  his  death,  he  established  among  them  the  "Mission 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception."  This  mission  was  con- 
tinued until  the  French  power  disappeared  from  the 
Mississippi  valley. 

In  1698  the  French  king  sent  out  a  colony  under  one 
dTberville,  a  Canadian,  who  had  promised  to  take  posses- 
sion of  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  colonize  it.  Iber- 
ville arrived  in  the  Gulf  near  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi 
in  the  month  of  February  or  March,  1698.  While  exploring 
the  inlets  and  trying  to  determine  the  best  place  for  a  settle- 
ment, one  of  his  men  found  an  Indian  chief  with  a  blue  cloak 
and  what  he  called  a  "wonderful  medicine,"  a  piece  of 
speaking-bark.  The  man  traded  a  hatchet  for  it  and  found 
that  it  was  a  letter  from  Tonti  to  LaSalle,  written  thirteen 
years  before.    When  LaSalle  was  struggling  in  the  mazes 

51 


of  the  Texas  swamps,  striving  in  vain  to  rediscover  the  great 
river,  Tonti,  hearing  that  he  had  left  France  with  his  colony, 
went  down  the  river  to  meet  him.  He  went  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river  and  sought  for  days  to  locate  him,  then  gave  up 
the  effort.  But  he  gave  an  Indian  chief  a  cloak  and  wrote 
a  letter  to  LaSalle,  leaving  it  with  the  Indian  to  be  delivered 
should  he  chance  to  meet  the  white  man.  After  thirteen 
years  the  letter  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  Frenchman, 
but  the  one  for  whom  it  was  intended  and  to  whom  it  would 
have  meant  so  much  had  been  silenced  forever. 

Iberville  finally  decided  to  establish  himself  at  the  place 
now  called  Biloxi.  In  April,  1699,  they  built  a  fort  at  this 
place.  Iberville  soon  after  returned  to  France,  and  the 
control  of  the  colony  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  younger 
brother,  Bienville.  On  one  of  his  exploring  expeditions 
Bienville  found  some  Indians,  Chickasaws,  who  had  been 
trading  with  the  English,  and  with  the  help  of  Englishmen 
had  fought  a  battle  with  some  other  Indians.  This  was 
startling  news  to  the  French.  It  is  worth  noting  in  our 
outline  of  the  early  occupation  of  the  country.  It  tells  us 
that  at  that  early  day  the  English  settlers  were  finding  their 
way  through  and  around  the  southern  Alleghanies.  You 
remember  that  Joliet  reported  that  in  his  explorations  in 
1673  he  had  met  some  Indians  with  either  English  or  Span- 
ish arms  in  their  hands.  The  French  soon  had  occasion  to 
meet  some  of  these  pioneer  English. 

In  1700  three  things  happened  which  we  shall  do  well  to 
make  a  note  of.  First,  a  member  of  the  colony  at  Biloxi,  a 
man  by  the  name  of  La  Sueur,  with  a  two-masted  vessel 
sailed  up  the  Mississippi  from  the  Gulf  to  Lake  Pepin. 
There  he  built  a  fort,  killed  four  hundred  buffalo,  traded 
with  the  Indians  and  carried  back  to  Biloxi  a  boat-load  of 
blue  mud,  believing  it  to  contain  valuable  ore.  This  was 
the  first  boat  of  any  size  to  ascend  the  river.  Second,  Bien- 
ville moved  his  settlement  from  Biloxi  to  the  present  site  of 
Mobile.     Third,  that  year  Tonti,  discouraged  with  his  work 

52 


at  the  Rock  and  threatened  by  hostile  tribes,  persuaded  the 
Kaskaskia  Indians  to  move  down  the  Mississippi  where  the 
French  might  still  protect  them.  The  Indians  moved,  but 
upon  reaching  the  land  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia 
river  and  finding  it  a  goodly  land  and  unoccupied,  they  de- 
cided to  pitch  their  tents  there  instead  of  following  Tonti 
to  the  gulf.  This  explains  the  change  in  our  Indian  map, 
where  we  found  the  Illinois  Indians  crowded  upon  a  small 
territory  along  the  Kaskaskia.  Tonti  went  on  down  the 
river  and  joined  the  colony  of  Bienville  a*  Mobile.  It  is 
said  that  he  died  there  of  yellow  fever  the  next  year. 

In  1792  one  Juchereau,  a  trader  from  Montreal,  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  just  above  the  present  site  of  Cairo.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  years  he  built  a  tannery  there  and 
dressed  buffalo  hides  and  shipped  them  down  the  Mississippi 
river,  as  well  as  up  the  Ohio  toward  Montreal.  Finally  with 
thirty  thousand  buffalo  skins  on  hand  he  became  frightened 
and  ran  away,  leaving  this  vast  stock  of  skins  to  spoil.  Ex- 
ploring parties  went  up  the  Missouri  river  and  the  Ar- 
kansas and  wandered  over  the  intervening  territory  in  search 
for  precious  metals. 

This  was  not  the  order  of  people  of  which  profitable  col- 
onies are  made.  In  17 12  the  king,  disgusted  with  the  efforts 
to  colonize  under  the  Royal  patronage,  turned  the  whole 
matter  over  to  Anthony  Crozat,  a  wealthy  French  merchant, 
who  undertook  to  make  settlements  on  business  principles 
and  to  manage  the  colony  for  fifteen  years.  It  was  his  pur- 
pose to  search  for  mines  and  to  protect  the  French  posses- 
sions from  the  Spanish  and  English.  The  story  of  the  colony 
from  1712  to  1717  is  a  repetition  of  failures,  of  vicious  and 
dishonest  conduct,  and  of  treacherous  dealings  with  Indians 
and  whites  alike.  In  171 7  Crozat  gave  up  the  task.  It  was 
too  much  for  him  to  manage  according  to  business  prin- 
ciples. 

We  come  now  to  one  of  those  remarkable  speculative  phe- 
nomena that  have  visited  from  time  to  time  every  civilized 

53 


community  in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  outlines  of  the 
story  are  well  worth  a  little  time  and  attention. 

John  Law,  a  renegade  from  England,  who  had  been  tried, 
convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  hung,  escaped  and  made  his 
way  to  France.  He  was  versatile  in  expedients  and  a  fas- 
cinating talker.  He  was  a  gambler,  and  it  is  said  intro- 
duced the  game  of  faro  upon  the  continent  of  Europe.  But 
in  time  he  established,  as  the  result  of  his  gambling,  a  bank 
in  the  city  of  Paris.  He  at  once  became  a  leading  financial 
adviser  of  the  King  Regent.  (Louis  XV.  was  then  a  child 
about  six  years  of  age.)  Louis  XIV.  had  died,  leaving  the 
government  in  debt  about  sixteen  million  dollars.  Law 
came  forward  with  a  scheme  for  raising  this  money.  He 
recommended  the  issuing  of  paper  money  based  upon  the 
real  estate  of  the  nation.  One  million  dollars  of  paper  was 
to  be  issued  for  every  two  million  dollars  worth  of  real 
estate.  Soon  there  was  an  abundance  of  money.  Prices 
at  once  rose  and  a  general  prosperity  beamed  upon  the 
land.    Law  became  famous  as  a  financier. 

In  September,  1717,  he  brought  into  the  market  his  great 
scheme.  This  was  known  as  the  Mississippi  Company.  Its 
object  was  to  colonize  the  Mississippi  valley  and  exploit  it 
for  its  precious  metals  and  diamonds.  A  great  commerce 
was  to  be  carried  on  between  this  country  and  Europe. 
Pamphlets  were  distributed  telling  of  all  the  wonders  of 
this  far-away  land.  No  western  town  boomer  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  ever  dared  to  lie  with  the  brazen  effrontery 
shown  by  these  circulars  of  John  Law.  It  was  even  said 
the  country  grew  flowers  in  whose  cups  the  dewdrops  of 
the  night  would  crystallize  into  diamonds.  Gold  was  to  be 
found  in  abundance  in  every  stream.  The  sediment  in  the 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  contained  enough  to  make  every 
man,  woman  and  child  rich.  Bars  of  gold,  said  to  have 
been  thus  collected,  and  diamonds  said  to  have  been  formed 
in  the  flowers,  were  placed  on  exhibition  in  the  shop  win- 
dows.   Then  the  stock  of  the  company  was  placed  on  sale. 

54 


Men  and  women  fought  with  each  other  for  places  in  the 
lines  where  they  might  buy  the  stock.  Thousands  of  people 
flocked  to  the  ships  eager  to  be  transported  to  the  new  field 
of  wealth. 

When  the  tide  of  those  who  were  anxious  to  cross  over 
the  ocean  began  to  wane,  the  prisons  were  opened  and  the 
streets  were  swept  of  their  riffraff  to  be  sent  out  to  colonize 
the  valley  of  paradise  and  coin  wealth  for  themselves  and 
for  the  lucky  holders  of  stock  at  home.  Of  such  material 
were  the  French  possessions  in  the  lower  Mississippi  peo- 
pled. In  1 71 8,  Bienville  established  a  colony  at  the  present 
site  of  New  Orleans  and  laid  out  the  beginnings  of  the  most 
important  city  in  the  southern  part  of  the  valley.  In  the 
five  years  from  1717  to  1722  the  Mississippi  Company  sent 
out  seven  thousand  settlers  and  seven  hundred  slaves  to 
Louisiana.  Then  the  bubble  burst.  Ruin  came  upon  thou- 
sands of  homes  in  Europe.  Millions  upon  millions  of  dol- 
lars were  lost,  and  John  Law  fled  for  his  life  from  France 
with  nothing  left  of  his  great  fortune.  The  thousands  who 
had  fought  for  places  in  the  lines  to  buy  stock  and  who 
deified  Law  were  almost  beggared  in  the  overwhelming 
collapse,  and  of  course  they  charged  up  all  their  grievances 
against  Law. 

In  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi  prosperity  came 
out  of  the  misfortunes  of  Europe.  The  people  were  here, 
and  they  had  been  convinced,  after  years  of  fruitless  search- 
ing and  suffering,  that  there  were  no  diamonds  in  the  petals 
of  the  flowers  and  there  was  no  gold  in  the  sediment  of  the 
Mississippi.  They  had  learned,  however,  that  there  were 
riches  to  be  earned  by  cultivating  the  soil,  and  that  any  one 
with  reasonable  industry  could  become  an  independent 
householder  in  this  country.  So  the  army  of  immigrants  that 
had  come  from  all  the  diverse  elements  of  French  life  set 
themselves  to  work  to  organize  a  form  of  society  that  might 
be  permanent  and  agreeable.  In  the  early  immigration 
there  were   many   more   men  than   women,  and   to   sup- 

55 


ply  the  deficiency  shiploads  of  young  women  were 
brought  over  to  be  bought  for  wives.  In  this  way  began 
many  of  the  "first  families"  of  Louisiana.  Many  a  proud 
dame  of  the  South  can  trace  her  ancestry  back  to  the  time 
when  a  Mississippi  colony  immigrant  met  a  young  adven- 
turess on  the  levee  of  the  new  city  of  New  Orleans  and 
there  began  family  life. 

During  all  this  time  what  was  going  on  further  up  the 
river?  It  is  in  this  up-river  country  that  we  are  chiefly 
interested.  We  have  stated  that  in  171 8  Bienville  had  es- 
tablished a  permanent  colony  at  New  Orleans.  Two  years 
later  one  of  his  lieutenants,  Major  Pierre  Boisbriant,  led  a 
colony  of  over  a  hundred  people  up  the  river  to  some  six- 
teen miles  above  Kaskaskia  and  there  built  a  fort,  calling  it 
Fort  Chartres.  Chartres  landing  is  still  pointed  out  on  the 
river  where  this  fort  was  built.  In  1721  Kaskaskia  had 
risen  to  the  dignity  of  a  parish.  In  1722  the  first  land  war- 
rant known  to  the  real  estate  records  of  Illinois  was  issued 
by  Boisbriant.  In  1721  Francois  Renault,  who  in  1720 
brought  the  first  negro  slaves  to  Illinois,  took  two  hundred 
miners  and  five  hundred  slaves  to  the  point  where  Galena 
now  stands  and  began  operating  the  lead  mines  at  that 
place.  These  mines  are  still  furnishing  profitable  employ- 
ment to  hundreds  of  men.  In  the  same  year,  1721,  a  college 
and  a  monastery  were  established  at  Kaskaskia,  and  about 
the  same  time  Fort  Chartres  became  the  head  of  the  political 
and  social  life  of  the  upper  part  of  the  valley.  Cahokia, 
Prairie  du  Rocher  and  St.  Phillippe  were  laid  out  in  the 
near  vicinity  of  Fort  Chartres. 

If  we  look  across  the  state  we  shall  find  that,  after  the 
Illinois  Indians  with  Tonti  had  departed  from  Fort  St. 
Louis,  the  portage  by  way  of  Chicago  had  become  dangerous 
and  was  not  much  used  by  the  traders  between  Canada  and 
the  valley  settlements.  Instead  of  that  they  came  by  way 
of  Lake  Erie,  then  up  the  Maumee  river,  and  made  a  port- 
age to  the  headwaters  of  the  Wabash,  thence  down  the  Ohio. 

56 


This  meant  the  building  of  forts  along  this  route.  The 
portage  from  the  Maumee  began  where  Fort  Wayne  now 
stands.  The  post  on  the  upper  Wabash  was  called  Fort 
Ouatanon.  LaFayette,  Indiana,  now  stands  on  this  spot. 
In  171 5  a  boat-load  of  fifteen  thousand  skins  was  collected 
on  the  Wabash  and  successfully  taken  down  the  river  to 
New  Orleans.  A  fort  and  trading-post  was  established  at 
Vincennes  in  1722,  the  very  year  in  which  John  Law's  bub- 
ble broke  over  France. 

Slowly  but  steadily  the  French  had  extended  their  settle- 
ments and  trading-posts  from  the  days  of  the  early  mission 
stations  on  the  Great  Lakes  until  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  A  new  era  in  the  history  of  the  valley  was  about 
to  be  ushered  in.  Before  taking  it  up  we  shall  briefly  recall 
the  position  of  the  French  and  quote  something  of  their 
manner  of  life. 

Between  1673,  the  days  of  Marquette,  and  1750,  when 
the  barrier  of  the  Alleghanies  was  about  to  give  way,  pre- 
cipitating a  flood  of  Anglo-Saxon  home  makers  upon  the 
valley,  we  have  found  forts  or  settlements  or  trading  places 
established  at  various  places  along  the  northern  lakes,  at 
Miami  (the  St.  Joseph  river),  at  Fort  St.  Louis,  at  Peoria, 
at  Kaskaskia,  Cahokia,  Fort  Chartres  and  other  settlements 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia;  at  Galena,  at  Cairo,  and 
at  many  places  down  the  river  extending  to  New  Orleans, 
then  out  on  the  gulf  to  Biloxi  and  Mobile ;  at  Niagara,  at 
Fort  Le  Boeuf  and  a  few  other  places  leading  into  the  Ohio 
valley.  But  notwithstanding  all  this  array  of  settlements,  it 
is  necessary  to  repeat  a  caution,  made  some  time  ago,  that 
these  colonies  did  not  mean  anything  like  what  the  colonies 
on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  meant.  After  seventy-five  years 
of  colonization  in  the  most  fruitful  valley  in  all  the  world, 
in  a  valley  which  is  capable  of  furnishing  food  for  twenty 
million  of  people,  we  find  the  total  French  population  never 
to  have  exceeded  at  any  one  time  ten  thousand  souls  from 
the  lakes  to  the  gulf.    This  is  surely  a  meager  showing,  and 

57 


when  we  further  consider  that  this  population  in  such  a 
land  was  frequently  dependent  upon  the  home  country  for 
food  to  eat  we  are  tempted  to  question  whether  after  all  they 
were  of  any  more  service  to  the  world  at  large  than  the 
tribes  of  Indians  they  were  attempting  to  displace. 

French  writers  of  the  period  give  us  some  glimpses  of  the 
manner  of  life  among  the  people  of  these  early  settlements, 
which  are  entertaining  and  form  a  good  background  for  the 
permanent  setting  of  our  story.  We  can  quote  but  a  few 
samples. 


From  a  letter  written  by  an  Ursuline  nun  at  New  Orleans 
to  her  father  in  1727: 

"I  can  hardly  realize  that  I  am  on  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi because  there  is  here,  in  certain  things,  as  much  mag- 
nificence as  in  France.  Gold  and  velvet  stuffs  are  commonly 
used,  although  they  cost  three  times  as  much  as  in  Rouen. 
Corn-bread  costs  ten  cents  a  pound,  eggs  fifty  cents  a 
dozen,  milk  fifteen  cents  a  measure.  We  have  pineapples — 
most  excellent  fruit — peas  and  wild  beans,  watermelons  and 
potatoes,  an  abundance  of  figs,  and  pecans,  walnuts  and 
hickory  nuts.  There  are  also  pumpkins.  As  to  meat,  we 
live  on  wild  venison,  wild  geese  and  turkey,  hares,  chickens, 
ducks,  teal,  partridges  and  other  game.  The  rivers  abound 
in  monstrously  large  fish.  We  eat  bread  made  of  half  wheat 
and  half  rice.  The  dish  most  in  favor  is  rice  boiled  in 
milk  and  what  is  known  as  sagamite,  which  consists  of 
Indian  corn  pounded  in  a  mortar  and  boiled  in  water  and 
butter." 


One  might  think  from  this  letter  that  in  such  a  country 
a  colony  must  thrive  and  at  least  be  able  to  care  for  itself. 
Yet  in  1709  in  that  very  region  provisions  became  so  scarce 
that  the  whole  colony  was  obliged  to  live  on  acorns  and 
Bienville  was  obliged  to  disperse  his  soldiers  and  send  them 
out  among  the  Indians  to  get  a  living. 

58 


The  following  is  from  Monette:  "The  French  on  the 
Illinois  were  remarkable  for  their  easy  amalgamation  with 
the  red  race  in  manners  and  customs.  Their  villages  sprang 
up  in  long  narrow  streets.  The  houses  were  so  close  that 
the  people  could  carry  on  conversations  from  their  balco- 
nies." Each  homestead  was  surrounded  by  its  own  rude 
picket  fence.  The  houses  were  generally  one  story  high, 
surrounded  by  sheds  or  galleries.  The  walls  were  con- 
structed of  a  rude  framework,  having  upright  corner  posts 
and  studs  connected  by  numerous  cross-ties.  The  spaces 
between  were  rilled  by  straw  and  clay  and  plastered  by  hand 
with  clay.  "The  chimney  was  made  in  the  same  manner 
and  of  similar  materials.  There  were  four  corner  posts 
slanting  toward  the  top  and  the  cross  pieces  were  filled  in 
with  clay." 

"A  large  field  near  by  was  fenced  off  for  the  common 
use."  *  *  *  "The  season  for  plowing,  harvesting,  etc., 
was  regulated  by  special  enactments  or  by  public  ordinance, 
and  took  place  at  the  same  time  in  the  several  villages." 
*  *  *  "Even  the  form  and  manner  of  dooryards  was 
regulated  by  public  enactment." 

"The  winter  dress  of  the  man  was  generally  a  coarse 
blanket  capote,  drawn  over  shirt  and  long  vest  which  served 
both  as  a  cloak  and  a  hat,  for  the  hood  attached  to  the 
collar  could  be  drawn  over  the  head  when  it  was  cold.  In 
summer  the  head  was  generally  enveloped  in  a  blue  hand- 
kerchief in  the  form  of  a  turban." 

"At  the  close  of  each  year  it  was  the  custom  of  the  young 
men  to  disguise  themselves  in  old  clothes,  visit  the  several 
houses  of  the  village,  and  engage  in  friendly  dances  with 
the  inmates.  This  was  understood  as  being  an  invitation  for 
all  the  family  to  meet  in  a  general  ball,  in  which  to  watch 
the  birth  of  the  New  Year.  Large  crowds  assembled,  carry- 
ing their  own  refreshments,  and  a  merry  time  was  the  result. 
Another  custom  was  general  on  January  6.  By  lot,  four 
kings  were  chosen,  each  of  whom  selected  for  himself  a 

59 


queen.  These  together  perfected  arrangements  for  an  en- 
tertainment known  as  a  king-ball.  Towards  the  close  of  the 
first  dance  the  old  queens  selected  new  kings,  whom  they 
kissed  as  the  formality  of  introduction  into  the  office.  In  a 
similar  manner  these  kings  chose  new  queens,  and  thus  the 
gay  time  continued  during  the  entire  carnival,  up  to  the 
week  preceding  Lent." 

"Separated  by  an  immense  wilderness  from  all  civilized 
society,  these  voluntary  exiles  yet  retained  all  the  suavity  and 
politeness  of  their  race.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the 
roughest  hunter  or  boatman  among  them  could,  at  any  time, 
appear  in  a  ball-room,  or  at  a  council  fire,  with  the  carriage 
and  behavior  of  a  well-bred  gentleman.  At  the  same  time 
the  French  women  were  remarkable  for  the  sprightliness 
of  their  conversation,  and  the  grace  and  elegance  of  their 
manners." 

As  late  as  1750  a  missionary  at  Kaskaskia  wrote  as  fol- 
lows: "We  have  here  whites,  negroes  and  Indians,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  cross-breeds.  There  are  five  French  villages, 
and  three  of  the  natives,  within  a  space  of  twenty-one 
leagues,  situated  between  the  Mississippi  and  another  river 
called  the  Kaskaskia.  In  the  five  French  villages  there  are, 
perhaps,  eleven  hundred  whites,  three  hundred  blacks,  and 
some  sixty  red  slaves,  or  savages.  The  three  Indian  towns 
do  not  contain  more  than  eight  hundred  souls  all  told." 


60 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  TRANSFER  OF  THE  VALLEY  FROM   THE  FRENCH  TO  THE 

ENGLISH 

In  1673  Marquette  and  Joliet  found  Indians  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Arkansas  river  with  guns  in  their  hands.  In  1700 
Bienville  found  Indians  who  had  been  engaged  in  a  fight 
with  English  as  allies.  These  were  indications  of  a  coming 
struggle.  The  French  did  what  they  could  in  their  poor  way 
to  get  ready  for  it.  Among  other  things  we  learned  that 
they  located  a  great  many  emigrants  in  the  Illinois  country. 
Five  villages  sprang  up  around  the  Kaskaskia  mission.  In 
1720  Boisbriant  led  a  colony  of  six  hundred  to  the  site  of 
Chartres  and  there  erected  a  fort.  This  fort  became  the 
strongest  post  on  the  Mississippi;  perhaps  it  was  the  best 
built  and  best  fortified  place  in  America  south  of  Canada. 
The  fort  was  built  at  first  with  stone  foundations,  then  ex- 
tended upward  with  palisades  set  in  the  stone-work.  It  en- 
closed about  four  acres  of  ground  and  became  the  strong- 
hold of  the  French  in  all  that  region.  It  was  in  the  days  of 
the  Mississippi  Company  and  things  were  being  done  on  a 
lavish  scale.  Later  than  this,  in  1750,  when  it  seemed  that 
a  test  of  strength  might  soon  come,  Colonel  McKarty  was 
commissioned  to  rebuild  this  fort,  making  it  still  stronger. 
Over  a  million  dollars  was  spent  upon  the  works  and  their 
defenses. 

Wealthy  people,  as  well  as  the  vagabond  classes,  were 

61 


coming  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  fashionable  and 
richly  dressed  mothers  and  daughters  of  French  officers, 
soldiers  and  speculators  were  numerous,  and  set  up  a  social 
life  in  harmony  with  their  surroundings  and  inclinations. 
Gay  companies  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  rode  to  and  fro 
among  the  villages  stretched  along  the  river  bottoms,  visit- 
ing, gossiping,  arranging  for  parties  and  dances  and  out- 
ings, as  if  there  were  no  work  to  be  done  any  where  in  all 
their  world.  Dinners  and  balls  and  hunting  parties  were  as 
common  around  old  Fort  Chartres  as  they  were  in  Paris. 
French  houses  were  built  more  and  more  imposing  and 
commodious.  The  farms  were  chiefly  tended  by  slaves  and 
the  Indians  who  were  probably  pressed  into  the  service,  as 
the  Indian  did  not  like  farming  any  better  than  the  French- 
man. No  one  pretended  to  live  on  the  farm,  but  all  lived 
in  villages,  giving  opportunity  for  a  social  life.  They  had 
in  the  western  colonies  nothing  of  the  sober  and  solemn 
traits  found  in  the  New  England  settlements,  but  every  vil- 
lage had  its  frequent  dances  and  outings.  The  French  are 
a  gay  people.  They  went  to  church  in  the  morning  on  the 
Sabbath  as  regularly  as  did  the  Puritan,  but  in  the  afternoon, 
when  the  church  service  was  over  and  dinner  was  eaten, 
they  went  to  their  dancing  or  hunting  or  card  playing.  It 
was  a  gay  life  they  lived,  and  nowhere  were  the  character- 
istics of  the  French  people  better  illustrated  than  in  these 
settlements  along  the  Mississippi  around  Kaskaskia  in  the 
Illinois  country. 

Across  the  country  on  the  Wabash  was  Fort  Vincennes ; 
and  a  little  further  to  the  north,  at  the  portage  from  the 
Maumee,  was  the  Fort  Ouatanon.  The  people  across  the 
Alleghanies  were  noting  all  these  things.  They  were  begin- 
ning to  cross  over  the  mountains  and  the  time  was  at  hand 
to  decide  whether  the  discovery  by  Cabot  and  the  treaty 
with  the  Iroquois  were  to  stand  for  more  than  the  discoveries 
by  Marquette  and  Joliet  and  LaSalle  and  the  settlements 
made  by  their  countrymen.    The  English  and  the  French 

f>2 


could  not  both  abide  in  this  valley,  large  as  it  was,  and  be 
at  peace.  The  French  were  the  aggressors  in  the  actual 
conflict,  hiring  Indians  to  invade  the  frontier  settlements 
in  the  New  England  colonies,  paying  for  the  scalps  that  were 
brought  into  the  forts.  They  hoped  to  terrify  the  English 
and  force  them  to  abandon  their  outlying  settlements  and 
give  up  their  fur  trade  with  the  Indians.  The  French  cared 
little  for  settlements  and  farms,  but  they  wanted  the  fur 
trade  with  the  Indians  to  continue.  The  English,  on  the 
other  hand,  did  not  care  so  much  for  the  trade,  but  they 
wanted  to  settle  and  open  farms  and  clear  the  ground  of 
useless  timber.  Of  course  where  the  English  settled  the 
hunting  and  trading  were  at  an  end. 

In  1748  the  English  decided  that,  instead  of  withdrawing, 
they  were  ready  to  push  out  across  the  mountains  in  earnest. 
The  Ohio  land  company  was  formed,  the  king  having  prom- 
ised five  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  Ohio  country 
to  the  company  upon  certain  conditions. 

The  Washingtons  were  active  directors  and  large  stock- 
holders in  this  enterprise.  They  sent  agents  into  the  country 
across  the  mountains  to  inspect  the  land  and  select  places 
favorable  for  settlements.  Of  course  they  found  the  French 
there ;  then  came  the  message  from  the  Governor  of  Virginia 
to  the  commandant  at  Fort  Venango,  on  the  head  waters  of 
the  Alleghany  river,  asking  him  by  what  right  he  was  there 
and  warning  him  to  leave.  You  know  how  the  history  in- 
troduces this  subject  with  George  Washington  in  the  fore- 
ground. Then  came  Fort  Duquesne,  then  Braddock,  then 
the  French  and  Indian  War  in  all  its  bitterness.  There  were 
all  the  campaigns  against  Duquesne,  Niagara  (LaSalle's  old 
fort),  Louisburg,  Ticonderoga,  Crown  Point  and  Quebec, 
and  all  the  side  issues  of  Indian  massacres.  Your  United 
States  history  tells  you  of  Wolfe's  victory  on  the  plains  of 
Abraham  and  how  the  French  hero,  Montcalm,  died  thank- 
ing God  that  he  could  not  live  to  see  the  fort  surrendered, 
while  Wolfe  was  dying  thanking  God  that  the  French  were 

63 


running  and  he  had  won  the  victory.  That  was  a  great  vic- 
tory indeed.  It  ended  the  war  in  America,  for  soon  Mont- 
real was  surrendered,  then  the  French  quit  fighting,  and  in 
1763  a  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  in  Paris.  France  had  been 
most  terribly  worsted  both  in  the  New  World  and  in  the 
old,  being  forced  to  pay  an  enormous  price  for  her  defeat. 
All  of  her  possessions  east  of  the  Mississippi  river,  including 
Canada,  were  given  over  to  the  British.  By  a  secret  treaty 
made  with  Spain,  she  gave  all  of  her  possessions  west  of  the 
river  and  the  Island  of  Orleans,  including  the  city  of  New 
Orleans,  to  Spain.  So  when  the  war  was  ended,  France  did 
not  have  a  foot  of  territory  in  all  this  great  land.  The  lakes 
and  rivers  and  forests  which  her  heroic  Frontenacs,  Mar- 
quettes,  LaSalles,  Bienvilles  and  thousands  of  other  daring 
Frenchmen  had  discovered  and  fortified  and  settled,  after  a 
fashion,  passed  forever  from  her  grasp. 

From  the  Atlantic  to  the  great  river,  England  was  now 
supreme.  Legally,  her  colonists  could  go  anywhere  in  all 
that  region  and  make  their  homes.  But  when  they  tried  to 
do  this  they  found  that  there  were  still  dangers  and  death 
in  the  way.  The  Indians  must  still  be  dealt  with,  and  the 
English  were  not  as  skillful  as  the  French  in  dealing  with 
the  Indian.  It  is  a  dark  and  bloody  story,  telling  often  of 
cruelty  and  treachery  on  the  part  of  the  English  and  of  the 
awful  penalty  exacted  by  the  merciless  red  man.  It  was 
during  this  period,  between  the  French  and  Indian  war  and 
the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  that  Pontiac,  the  great 
Indian  chief,  attempted  to  organize  all  the  tribes  from  the 
lakes  to  the  gulf  into  one  great  confederacy  to  wipe  the 
English  entirely  out  of  the  valley.  The  French  encouraged 
the  enterprise,  and,  while  it  did  not  succeed,  it  cost  thousands 
of  lives  and  much  suffering.  It  has  been  estimated  that  in 
all  the  wars  that  have  been  carried  on  with  the  Indians 
from  the  beginning  until  now,  five  white  men  have  been 
slain  to  every  Indian.  So  far  as  we  can  read  now,  looking 
back  over  the  past,  every  outbreak,  every  war  with  the 

64 


Indians,  every  massacre,  was  the  outcome  of  some  wrong 
committed  by  the  whites  against  the  red  men.  But  all  this 
your  usual  text-book  in  history  will  tell  you ;  we  are  chiefly 
interested  in  the  things  that  happened  in  the  Illinois  country. 

The  towns  of  Kaskaskia  and  Cahokia  and  the  Fort  Char- 
tres  now  belonged  by  treaty  to  the  English.  What  hap- 
pened there?  The  war  did  not  reach  them,  except  that  it 
is  worth  telling  that  it  was  a  Captain  Villiers  who  took  a 
company  of  men  from  Fort  Chartres  in  the  Illinois  country 
and,  making  his  way  up  the  Ohio  and  across  the  Mononga- 
hela  and  across  a  part  of  the  Alleghanies,  reached  Fort 
Necessity  and  there  forced  Major  George  Washington  from 
Virginia  to  surrender.  When  the  news  of  this  victory 
reached  Fort  Chartres  they  fired  their  guns  and  waved  their 
flags  and  had  dinners  and  dances  without  number.  They 
did  more  than  that.  They  loaded  nine  tons  of  flour  on  flat- 
boats  and  started  them  up  the  Ohio  to  feed  the  soldiers 
gathering  at  Fort  Duquesne.  So  during  the  years  of  this 
war  the  French  people  in  the  Illinois  country  sent  bread- 
stuffs  and  lead  for  bullets  to  the  French  soldiers  in  the  field. 

You  remember  that  Fort  Chartres  had  been  rebuilt  before 
this  time.  It  was  now  a  solid  stone  fortification  eighteen 
feet  high,  with  forty-eight  loop  holes,  through  which  guns 
or  cannons  might  be  fired.  Soldiers'  quarters,  store-houses, 
powder  magazines  and  other  necessary  buildings  were 
erected  within  the  enclosure.  "Now,"  said  they,  "let  Eng- 
land and  Virginia  come  and  take  it  if  they  can."  But  never 
a  gun  was  fired  against  this  mighty  fortress.  It  stood  in 
the  wind  and  weather  until  the  Mississippi  river,  which  it 
was  built  to  defend,  gradually  ate  the  foundations  out  from 
under  it,  and  this  pride  of  the  Illinois  French  people  was 
swallowed  up  in  the  muddy  waters  of  the  great  river  during 
a  flood  in  1772,  three  years  before  the  beginning  of  the 
Revolution. 

For  two  years  after  the  close  of  the  French  and  Indian 
War  the  English  did  not  reach  Fort  Chartres  to  take  pos- 

65 


session.  The  war  with  Pontiac  kept  them  busy.  He  stood 
across  the  path  fighting  over  again  the  battle  of  his  French 
friends.  During  these  two  years  there  was  little  govern- 
ment in  the  Illinois  villages,  for  after  the  treaty  of  peace 
the  French  governor  left  the  fort  with  quite  a  large  body 
of  followers  and  made  his  way  across  the  river  to  the  Span- 
ish settlement  at  St.  Louis.  They  preferred  to  be  Spanish 
rather  than  English  subjects.  Pontiac,  driven  from  the 
North  after  repeated  defeats,  took  up  his  abode  among  the 
villages  of  Illinois.  Finally,  on  October  10,  1765,  a  British 
company  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  Highlanders 
reached  Fort  Chartres  and  there  without  opposition  took 
possession  of  it.  The  lilies  of  France  were  lowered  and 
for  the  first  time  on  Illinois  soil  the  flag  of  England  was 
flung  to  the  breeze.  There  was  no  disposition  to  molest 
the  French  settlers  in  the  Illinois  country.  They  were  as- 
sured that  they  might  continue  on  in  their  work  and  wor- 
ship with  full  liberty  of  conscience  and  with  a  full  recog- 
nition of  all  their  civil  rights.  The  English  troops  were 
withdrawn  within  a  month,  departing  by  the  way  of  New 
Orleans  for  Philadelphia. 

No  more  British  soldiers  were  sent  into  the  Illinois  coun- 
try. The  civil  government  was  administered  by  governors 
appointed  by  the  English.  Several  of  these  governors  were 
Frenchmen  who  had  given  their  oaths  of  allegiance  to 
England,  and,  being  familiar  with  the  people  and  their  insti- 
tutions, carried  on  the  government  very  much  as  it  had 
been  carried  on  under  the  French  rule. 

In  1763,  after  the  treaty  of  peace  with  France,  but  before 
the  English  had  reached  Fort  Chartres,  while  Pontiac's 
war  was  in  progress,  and  probably  as  a  bribe  to  the  Indians 
for  ending  the  war,  King  George  issued  a  proclamation 
dividing  the  territory  of  the  British  crown  in  America  into 
five  parts.  There  was  East  Florida,  covering  about  the 
same  area  as  is  covered  by  the  state  of  Florida  now ;  West 
Florida,  taking  a  strip  between  the  thirty-first  parallel  and 

66 


the  gulf,  extending  from  East  Florida  to  the  Mississippi 
river.  We  are  not  much  interested  in  either  of  these  divi- 
sions at  the  present  time.  To  the  north  was  the  province 
of  Quebec,  which  included  both  sides  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
river  as  far  as  to  the  Ottawa  river,  and  extending  from 
the  present  boundary  of  the  United  States  to  about  half 
way  to  Hudson  Bay.  Then  there  was  the  division  occupied 
by  the  thirteen  colonies,  and  the  fifth  division,  to  be  known 
as  the  Indian  Territory,  from  the  Mississippi  river  to  the 
boundary  of  the  colonies.  This  is  the  division  in  which  we 
are  interested.  The  early  charters  of  the  colonies  called 
for  all  the  land  from  "sea  to  sea,"  which  came  to  be  inter- 
preted, when  the  country  was  better  known,  as  meaning 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississippi.  This  proclamation  of 
1763  therefore  was  cutting  off  from  the  colonies  a  part  of 
what  they  thought  of  right  belonged  to  them.  But  to  make 
the  matter  as  bad  as  it  could  be,  the  proclamation  stated 
that  no  one  should  be  permitted  to  make  treaties  with  the 
Indians  or  to  buy  lands  from  them  except  in  the  name  of 
the  king,  nor  should  any  of  the  colonists  presume  to  settle 
on  any  of  the  lands  included  within  the  Indian  territory. 
The  line  between  the  Indian  territory  and  the  colonies  was 
drawn  down  the  divide  of  the  Alleghany  mountains.  It 
began  approximately  with  Lake  Ontario,  then  ran  south- 
ward along  the  ridge  of  the  divide  to  the  source  of  the 
Chattahooche  river,  thence  along  this  river  to  the  gulf.  This 
would  shut  up  the  colonies  to  the  limits  they  were  trying 
to  break  through  when  the  French  and  Indian  war  began. 
In  fact  it  was  to  prevent  just  such'  limitations  that  the  Ohio 
Company  was  formed  and  that  George  Washington  had 
made  his  journey  to  Fort  Venango,  that  Braddock  had  been 
sent  upon  his  fatal  expedition  and  that  the  colonists  had 
given  of  their  means  and  blood  to  drive  the  French  from 
the  valley.  Here  was  one  of  the  very  first  grievances  that 
led  to  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  This  was  a  much  more 
serious  matter  than  the  payment  of  a  few  pounds  on  tea 

67 


or  stamped  paper.  The  people  of  the  colonies  did  not  obey 
the  proclamation,  nor  could  they  see  how  it  could  be  obeyed 
if  they  were  to  continue  to  grow.  Treaties  continued  to 
be  made  with  the  Indians.  The  chiefs  of  the  Illinois  made 
a  grant  of  nearly  all  the  lands  now  comprising  the  state  of 
Illinois  to  a  little  group  of  people.  After  the  Revolution  the 
United  States  refused  to  ratify  these  treaties,  although  emi- 
nent English  judges  held  that  they  were  valid. 

In  1768  a  court  of  justice  was  organized  at  Fort  Chartres 
for  the  Illinois  country.  It  consisted  of  seven  judges  and 
held  its  first  session  December  9,  1768.  This  was  the  first 
experience  the  French  people  had  ever  had  with  the  jury 
system.  Heretofore  they  had  been  governed  arbitrarily  by 
the  governor,  or  the  notary  and  the  priest.  They  could  not 
understand  how  a  dozen  farmers  or  blacksmiths  or  traders 
could  interpret  the  laws  or  administer  justice.  They  com- 
plained bitterly  of  the  change  and  many  of  them  withdrew 
to  the  Spanish  side  of  the  river.  Finally,  to  satisfy  the  de- 
mands of  this  Illinois  settlement  of  French  people,  a  change 
was  made  in  the  boundaries.  This  change  occurred  in  1774, 
in  what  is  known  as  the  Quebec  act.  The  Illinois  country, 
including  approximately  all  the  country  north  of  the  Ohio 
river,  was  made  a  part  of  the  Quebec  territory,  and  the 
French  system  of  laws  was  applied  to  all  that  territory.  To 
the  thirteen  colonies  this  was  an  added  insult.  It  roused 
their  passions  and  called  forth  their  denunciations  as  much 
as  any  single  act  ever  passed  by  the  British  parliament. 
In  the  Declaration  of  Independence  we  read:  "For  abol- 
ishing the  free  system  of  English  laws  in  a  neighboring 
province,  establishing  therein  an  arbitrary  government  and 
enlarging  its  boundaries  so  as  to  render  it  at  once  an  ex- 
ample and  a  fit  instrument  for  introducing  the  same  abso- 
lute rule  into  these  colonies."  But  this  rule  continued  until 
the  reorganization  after  the  close  of  the  Revolution. 

We  can  well  understand  how  it  happened  with  all  the 
troubles  about  the  Indian  tribes,  about  the  questions  of 

68 


jurisdiction  and  the  system  of  laws  to  be  applied,  about  the 
questions  of  law  as  to  whether  deeds  and  grants  and  treaties 
made  contrary  to  the  proclamation  of  1763  would  be  sus- 
tained when  they  came  to  a  judicial  investigation,  that  the 
Illinois  country  from  1763  to  1780  made  little  or  no  progress. 
Indeed  there  were  fewer  people  in  the  Illinois  country  at 
the  close  of  the  Revolution  than  there  were  fifteen  years 
before. 

But  while  the  Illinois  country  during  these  years  was 
making  little  gains  in  population,  the  country  south  of  the 
Ohio,  in  the  present  states  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky, 
was  being  peopled  by  a  hardy  race  of  pioneers.  In  the 
advance  guard  of  the  white  invasion  of  that  region  was 
Daniel  Boone,  who  as  a  young  man  had  served  as  a  teamster 
in  Braddock's  campaign.  His  story  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  in  our  border  annals.  Kentucky  was  Virginia 
country,  while  Tennessee  belonged  to  North  Carolina. 
When  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  signed  there 
were  probably  three  or  four  thousand  people  living  within 
the  borders  of  the  present  Kentucky,  and  perhaps  a  few 
more  than  that  within  the  present  limits  of  Tennessee. 
These  border  settlements  had  much  to  do  with  the  next 
step  in  the  history  of  our  Illinois  country. 


69 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  NORTHWEST  TERRITORY  PASSES  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Before  taking  up  the  subject  directly  we  shall  review  briefly 
what  we  know  of  the  early  events  connected  with  our  Illi- 
nois history. 

We  learned  that  in  1673  Joliet  and  Marquette,  on  their 
return  trip  from  the  Mississippi,  turned  into  the  Illinois 
river  and  followed  it  to  the  portage  of  the  Desplaines,  and 
then  crossed  over  to  Lake  Michigan  on  their  way  to  Green 
Bay.  We  know  that  on  this  trip  they  found  a  village  of 
Indians,  whom  they  called  Kaskaskia  Indians,  near  the 
present  site  of  Utica.  Father  Marquette  promised  to  return 
to  them  to  preach  the  gospel.  He  did  return  the  following 
year,  after  spending  a  whole  winter,  sick,  in  a  poor  hovel 
on  the  ground  where  a  part  of  Chicago  now  stands,  per- 
haps about  five  miles  from  the  lake  on  the  south  branch  of 
the  river.  The  Chicago  and  Alton  railroad  has  erected  a 
stone  monument  of  boulders  to  mark  the  vicinity  of  this 
winter  camp.  In  1907  the  Chicago  Association  of  Com- 
merce erected  a  mahogany  cross  to  mark  the  supposed  spot 
on  the  bank  of  the  river,  just  south  of  Blue  Island  avenue. 
The  monument  of  mahogany,  fourteen  feet  high  and  twelve 
inches  thick,  was  donated  by  Mr.  Cameron  L.  Wiley. 
Father  Marquette  reached  the  Kaskaskia  village  on  the 
Illinois  and  preached  to  the  Indians.  He  established  what 
he  called  a  mission  (a  church)  among  them,  calling  it  the 

70 


Mission  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  This  mission  was 
continued  by  one  priest  or  another  so  long  as  the  French 
held  possession  of  the  Illinois  country,  although  it  was  after 
a  time  moved  further  south.  This  was  the  last  visit  of 
Marquette  to  the  Illinois  (1675). 

In  1679  came  LaSalle  and  Tonti.  LaSalle  in  his  different 
trips  crossed  the  state  at  least  six  times  by  way  of  the 
Illinois  river,  sometimes  going  by  way  of  the  Chicago  river 
portage,  sometimes  by  the  Calumet,  and  sometimes  by  way 
of  the  Kankakee  portage  from  the  St.  Joseph  river.  La- 
Salle built  Fort  Crevecceur,  near  the  present  site  of  Peoria. 
It  never  was  anything  but  a  stockade  and  temporary  stop- 
ping place,  while  the  French  occupied  the  country.  He 
built  and  fortified  Fort  St.  Louis  on  top  of  Starved  Rock. 
Here  Tonti  held  possession  for  some  fifteen  years,  in  close 
friendship  with  the  Indians  gathered  around  the  rock. 

In  1700  Cahokia,  a  little  below  the  present  site  of  St. 
Louis,  on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river,  was  occupied  by 
French  priests  and  traders  and  at  once  became  the  nucleus 
of  a  French  village.  The  same  year  Kaskaskia  was  settled 
by  the  French  and  Indians.  We  remember  that  it  was  at 
this  time  that  Tonti  wearied  with  waiting  at  the  rock,  per- 
suaded the  Indians  to  move  southward  toward  the  French 
settlements.  He  got  them  as  far  as  the  present  site  of  Kas- 
kaskia, named  after  them,  and  here  they  settled.  In  1720 
Fort  Chartres  was  established  by  a  colony  of  men  led  by 
one,  Boisbriant,  from  the  Biloxi  or  New  Orleans  colony. 
Two  or  three  other  villages  were  settled  on  this  same  penin- 
sula, lying  between  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  Kaskaskia. 
They  contained  the  larger  part  of  the  French  population 
south  of  Canada  and  north  of  New  Orleans.  We  recall  that 
as  early  as  1702  Juchereau  established  a  trading  station  and 
built  a  tannery  near  the  site  of  the  present  Cairo,  and  that 
in  1 72 1  Renault  took  two  hundred  miners  and  five  hundred 
slaves  to  the  site  of  Galena  and  began  operating  the  lead 
mines.    The  line  of  travel  between  Canada  and  the  lower 

71 


Mississippi  changed  after  Tonti  abandoned  the  fort  on  the 
rock,  the  trail  leading  by  the  way  of  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Maumee  river,  where  the  portage  was  short,  to  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Wabash.  So  a  fort,  Ouatanon,  on  the  present 
site  of  Lafayette  on  the  Wabash,  was  built.  As  early  as 
171 5  great  cargoes  of  buffalo  hides  were  shipped  down  the 
Wabash  to  New  Orleans. 

In  1722,  the  year  the  Mississippi  bubble  broke,  a  fort  and 
settlement  were  established  on  the  present  site  of  Vincennes. 

72 


Then  came  the  French  and  Indian  War  of  1754- 1763.  While 
this  was  in  progress  the  French  settlements  in  the  Illinois 
country  sent  flour  and  lead  to  the  French  troops  by  way  of 
the  Ohio  river.  After  the  treaty  of  peace  in  1763,  came 
Pontiac's  war,  which  made  it  impossible  for  the  British 
government  to  take  possession  of  its  Illinois  territory,  so 
the  French  flag  waved  over  Fort  Chartres  and  a  French 
officer  was  in  charge  until  one  day  in  October,  1765,  a 
Scotch  Highland  company  marched  into  the  fort  and  the 
French  flag  was  taken  down  and  the  British  flag  was  hoisted 
in  its  place. 

Then  we  remember  that  following  the  treaty  of  peace 
the  British  king  issued  a  proclamation  making  all  the  coun- 
try bounded  by  the  Alleghany  mountains,  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi rivers  and  the  lakes,  an  Indian  territory,  and  for- 
bade any  of  the  Atlantic  colonies  to  send  settlers  into  the 
territory.  Then  in  1774  this  territory  was  added  to  the 
province  of  Quebec  and  the  system  of  French  laws  was 
put  into  operation  within  its  boundaries.  We  know  that 
the  King's  proclamation  did  not  keep  such  men  as  Daniel 
Boone  and  Kenton  and  McAfee,  and  hundreds  of  their 
kind,  from  crossing  the  mountains  and  making  settlements 
in  the  western  country.  So  by  April  17,  1775,  when  the 
battle  of  Lexington  was  fought,  there  were  two  or  three 
thousand  settlers  in  the  present  territory  of  Tennessee  and 
Kentucky.  On  the  very  day  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lex- 
ington reached  the  settlers  in  Kentucky  a  crowd  of  them 
were  gathered  together  finishing  a  fort.  The  news  of  the 
battle  so  pleased  them  that  they  decided  to  call  their  new 
fort  Fort  Lexington.  It  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Lexington,  Kentucky. 

Among  those  who  had  gone  back  and  forth  along  the 
mountain  and  river  trails  from  Virginia  to  the  Ohio  and 
Kentucky  country  was  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  George 
Rogers  Clark.  He  was  a  rover  from  boyhood.  Like  Wash- 
ington, he  learned  enough  of  mathematics  to  become  a 

73 


surveyor,  and  he  went  into  Kentucky,  and  perhaps  into 
Tennessee,  to  follow  his  vocation.  But  he  was  warlike  and 
loved  the  sound  of  fife  and  drum.  There  was  frequent 
fighting  along  the  border  line,  and  George  Rogers  Clark 
was  mixed  up  in  several  Indian  skirmishes.  Doubtless  he 
would  have  added  to  his  reputation  more  by  staying  out  of 
some  of  these  Indian  raids  than  by  taking  part  in  them. 
But  1777  came.  Burgoyne  had  surrendered  his  army  at 
Saratoga.  The  French  king  had  given  his  consent  to  an 
open  alliance  with  the  colonists  and  sent  ships  and  men  to 
aid  them.  Things  began  to  look  very  bright  to  the  Ameri- 
cans. George  Rogers  Clark  knew  that  all  the  great  country 
from  the  Ohio  to  the  lakes  and  to  the  Mississippi  was  held 
by  a  few  British  troops  stationed  at  Detroit,  and  a  very  few 
more,  chiefly  French  militia,  stationed  at  Kaskaskia  and 
Vincennes. 

Patrick  Henry  was  governor  of  Virginia.  He  was  a 
close  personal  friend  of  George  Rogers  Clark.  To  him  the 
young  man  went  and  proposed  a  plan  for  capturing  all  the 
Illinois  country  from  the  British  before  they  could  know 
what  was  going  on.  He  wanted  a  permit  to  gather  men  and 
some  supplies  for  such  an  expedition.  Governor  Henry 
agreed  with  him  as  to  the  desirability  of  the  enterprise,  but 
the  state  was  so  poor  it  could  give  him  no  supplies,  and 
men  were  so  badly  needed  for  the  army  of  Washington 
that  he  could  not  give  him  a  permit  to  recruit  a  company 
for  this  expedition  on  the  frontier.  After  weeks  of  persua- 
sion and  argument,  Clark  finally  secured  from  the  governor 
an  order  for  five  hundred  pounds  of  powder  and  permission 
to  recruit  a  body  of  men  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge  mountains. 
It  was  a  difficult  task,  but  Clark  was  not  easily  discouraged. 
He  finally  found  himself  at  Fort  Washington,  the  present 
site  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  with  a  small  body  of  recruits.  He 
proceeded  down  the  river  as  far  as  the  present  city  of 
Louisville ;  after  hearing  the  complaints  of  some  of  his  men, 
none  of  whom  knew  upon  what  errand  they  were  bound, 

74 


and  letting  all  who  v/ished  return  to  their  homes,  he  floated 
down  the  Ohio  until  he  came  to  an  old  deserted  fort  called 
Fort  Massac,  about  three  miles  below  the  present  town  of 
Metropolis,  Illinois.  Here  he  landed  his  force  of  a  little 
less  than  two  hundred  men.  Clark  did  not  dare  follow  the 
Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  around  to  Kaskaskia  lest  the  Eng- 
lish should  discover  him.  His  success  depended  upon  his 
ability  to  surprise  the  garrison.  At  this  time  there  were 
about  two  thousand  people  living  at  Kaskaskia.  There  was 
no  English  garrison  there,  but  a  body  of  French  militia 


under  command  of  one,  Rocheblave,  a  Frenchman  who  had 
given  his  allegiance  to  the  British.  On  the  thirtieth  of 
June,  1778,  almost  a  year  from  the  time  Clark  had  begun  to 
plan  for  this  expedition,  he  left  his  flatboats  on  the  Ohio 
and  started  for  a  trip  across  the  country.  The  distance  was 
ninety  miles  in  a  straight  line.  The  way  was  partly  through 
the  woods  and  partly  across  the  open  prairie.  A  hunter 
whom  they  met  agreed  to  guide  them.  After  losing  the  way 
occasionally  they  reached  the  Kaskaskia  river  above  the 
town  about  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  July  4.    Here 

75 


they  hid  in  the  bushes  until  dark.  Then  they  picked  up 
some  canoes  and  ferried  themselves  across  the  stream. 

Clark  divided  his  men  into  three  parts.  Two  were  to 
enter  the  town  from  different  directions  while  the  third, 
under  Clark,  was  to  attack  the  fort  and  capture  it  with  its 
garrison.  All  were  to  keep  out  of  sight  as  far  as  possible 
until  Clark  should  give  the  word  that  the  garrison  was  cap- 
tured. They  found  the  commandant,  Phillipe  Rocheblave, 
in  bed  asleep.  When  he  waked,  Clark  was  beside  him  and 
he  was  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  Then 
the  other  companies  marched  through  the  streets  of  the 
town,  firing  their  guns  and  yelling  like  Indians  to  frighten 
the  inhabitants  and  make  them  believe  that  a  large  army 
had  attacked  them.  Word  was  sent  to  the  people  that  they 
must  stay  in  their  houses  or  they  would  be  shot.  They 
expected  to  be  shot  at  any  rate.  The  French  people  of 
Kaskaskia,  and  the  Indians  in  that  region  as  well,  had  long 
been  familiar  with  the  reputation  of  the  Kentucky  frontiers- 
men. They  were  called  the  Long  Knives,  and  it  was  be- 
lieved that  they  gave  no  quarter,  but  killed  and  scalped  all 
alike — men,  women  and  children — whenever  they  went  upon 
the  warpath.  So  the  poor  simple  French  people  thought 
their  hour  had  come,  and  the  Kentuckians  did  not  try  to 
relieve  their  fears  that  night.  The  town  was  taken.  The 
commandant  was  a  prisoner.  He  was  defiant  and  saucy  and 
insulting.  Clark  put  hand-cuffs  on  him  and  in  a  few  days 
sent  him  to  Virginia  as  a  prisoner.  His  slaves  were  con- 
fiscated and  sold  for  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars  and 
the  money  was  divided  out  among  Clark's  men. 

When  the  morning  came,  Father  Gibault,  the  priest,  with 
several  of  the  old  men  of  the  village,  called  upon  Clark  to 
ask  that  before  they  were  all  separated  one  from  another 
they  might  be  permitted  to  gather  in  the  little  chapel  and 
hold  a  service  and  bid  each  other  good-bye.  Then  Clark 
looked  astonished  and  asked  what  kind  of  men  they  sup- 
posed him  and  his  soldiers  to  be.    He  told  them  that  they 

76 


were  not  butchers  nor  savages.  It  was  not  their  business 
to  kill  innocent  men,  women  and  children.  They  might  go 
to  their  church  or  to  their  places  of  business  just  as  they 
had  always  done.  All  he  wanted  was  that  they  should  give 
in  their  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  government  of  Virginia. 

When  the  people  learned  this  they  were  so  overjoyed 
they  wept  on  each  other's  shoulders,  and  they  thought  Clark 
was  the  best  and  most  generous  man  they  had  ever  heard  of. 
The  church  bell  was  rung  and  the  people  flocked  to  the  little 
church  where  the  good  news  was  published,  and  then  they 
all  took  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  Virginia,  under  whose 
authority  Clark  was  acting. 

A  detachment  of  Clark's  men,  with  a  number  of  recruits 
from  the  French  at  Kaskaskia  were  sent  at  once  to  Cahokia, 
and  that  town  was  surrendered  without  opposition,  and  the 
people  took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  So  all  the  river  towns 
which  had  cost  the  French  so  much  money  and  sacrifice  to 
establish,  and  which  the  British  had  won  by  treaty  at  the 
close  of  the  French  and  Indian  War,  passed  without  a  shot 
or  the  loss  of  a  life  into  the  hands  of  the  Virginians,  never 
to  be  held  again  by  a  foreign  government. 

A  few  days  later  Clark  sent  the  priest,  Father  Gibault, 
with  a  few  Kaskaskia  citizens,  to  Fort  Vincennes  to  per- 
suade the  people  of  that  place  to  surrender  the  town  to  the 
Americans.  The  fort  was  defended  at  that  time  by  French 
militia,  no  British  soldiers  being  there.  The  errand  was 
successful.  The  French,  after  hearing  what  had  happened 
at  Kaskaskia,  very  readily  agreed  to  become  American  citi- 
zens. Clark  afterward  sent  one  of  his  officers,  Captain 
Helm,  with  one  other  American,  to  take  charge  of  the  fort 
and  administer  its  affairs  in  the  name  of  Virginia. 

From  the  Ohio  to  the  lakes  the  British  did  not  have  a  set- 
tlement left.  Word  was  soon  carried  to  Detroit,  to  the 
great  surprise  and  chagrin  of  General  Hamilton,  the  com- 
mander there.  He  at  once  organized  parties  of  Indians  and 
sent  them  out  to  attack  any  of  Clark's  men  wherever  they 

77 


could  find  them.  In  the  meantime  he  began  organizing  a 
force  to  retake  the  country  from  the  Americans.  Early  in 
the  winter  he  started  from  Detroit  with  his  force.  It  was 
cold  and  he  made  slow  progress.  It  was  seventy-five  days 
before  he  reached  Vincennes.  When  they  heard  of  his  ap- 
proach all  the  French  deserted  Captain  Helm,  refusing  to 
fight  against  the  British.  When  Hamilton  appeared  before 
the  fort  he  did  not  know  how  many  men  were  within.  He 
demanded  that  the  fort  be  surrendered.  Helm  had  charged 
a  cannon  with  shot  and  it  commanded  the  gate-way  to  the 
fort.  He  threatened  to  defend  the  place  to  the  last,  but  in 
view  of  scarcity  of  provisions  he  consented  to  surrender, 
provided  he  might  be  allowed  the  honors  of  war.  To  this 
Hamilton  readily  agreed.  So  the  American  colors  were 
taken  down.  The  British  were  drawn  up  in  two  lines  to 
receive  the  surrendered  garrison  when,  to  their  surprise, 
the  captain  and  one  man  marched  out  with  flying  colors. 
It  must  have  made  even  the  chagrined  British  laugh. 

Clark,  at  Kaskaskia,  did  not  learn  of  what  had  happened 
at  Vincennes  until  some  time  in  January.  He  was  in  a 
perilous  situation.  He  well  knew  that  as  soon  as  the  weather 
permitted  Hamilton  would  attack  him  and  he  could  not  resist 
him  with  the  few  men  he  had.  (About  half  of  Clark's 
men  had  returned  to  their  Kentucky  homes  after  things 
had  been  settled  in  the  Illinois  villages.)  There  was  no 
time  to  lose  if  Clark  would  hold  the  territory  he  had  cap- 
tured. He  decided  at  once  what  he  should  do.  He  sent 
spies  to  Vincennes  to  learn  the  real  situation  there.  Then 
he  recruited  all  the  French  young  men  he  could  to  fill  up 
his  ranks.  Clark  had  become  very  popular  in  the  meantime 
on  account  of  the  way  he  had  dealt  with  the  Indians.  The 
French  had  come  to  believe  him  invincible.  They  were  sure 
he  must  succeed  in  anything  he  undertook.  So  he  had  little 
trouble  in  getting  quite  a  number  of  Frenchmen  to  enlist 
with  him. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  of  January,  Colonel  Francis  Vigo,  a 

78 


Spanish  merchant  of  St.  Louis,  who  had  become  a  great 
friend  to  Clark,  returning  from  a  trading  trip  to  Vincennes, 
told  Clark  that  all  the  British  except  about  eighty  men  had 
returned  to  Detroit  and  that  Hamilton  was  busy  getting 
ready  for  a  campaign  in  the  spring. 

The  time  to  act  had  come.  The  state  of  Virginia  had  not 
sent  Clark  a  dollar  nor  a  man.  But  Colonel  Vigo  had 
loaned  him  twenty  thousand  dollars.  With  this  sum  he  met 
the  necessary  expenses  of  his  expedition,  and  on  the  seventh 
of  February,  with  his  little  force  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
men,  most  of  them  French  volunteers,  started  upon  his  ad- 
venturous march  to  Vincennes.  The  distance  was  not  great, 
only  about  two  hundred  thirty  miles.  In  warm  weather, 
when  the  fields  were  full  of  game  and  the  prairie  trails  were 
dry,  it  would  have  been  a  light  matter  for  Clark's  little  army 
to  have  made  this  march.  But  they  had  no  tents.  Every 
foot  of  the  prairie  trail  was  water-soaked  and  muddy.  The 
streams  were  flooded  by  the  early  spring  freshets.  Much 
of  the  distance  they  had  to  wade  in  the  chill,  icy  water, 
sometimes  waist  deep.  In  crossing  the  Embarrass  river 
and  the  small  streams  they  sometimes  were  obliged  to  wade 
for  miles  with  the  water  up  to  their  shoulders,  carrying 
their  guns  and  powder  over  their  heads.  Their  food  gave 
out.  Game  was  scarce  and  hard  to  kill.  As  they  approached 
Vincennes  they  were  afraid  to  shoot  lest  they  announce 
their  coming  to  the  British. 

They  reached  the  fort  about  dark  on  the  twenty-second 
of  February,  and  at  once  began  an  attack.  The  French  in- 
habitants were  glad  to  see  them  and  furnished  them  with 
food  and  ammunition.  General  Hamilton,  surprised  and 
chagrined,  refused  to  surrender.  The  attack  upon  the  fort, 
with  occasional  parleys,  was  continued  until  the  twenty-fifth, 
when  the  fort  was  turned  over  to  Clark  and  his  victorious 
followers.  The  stores  captured  with  the  fort  were  valued  at 
about  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  in  addition  to  this  a  boat- 
load of  supplies  on  the  way  from  Detroit  was  captured,  add- 

79 


ing  about  forty  thousand  dollars  worth  more  of  supplies  for 
division  among  the  little  band,  that  was  almost  shoeless  and 
coatless  after  its  fearful  march  through  the  swamps  of  the 
Wabash  river  bottoms.  It  was  an  heroic  thing  to  do  and 
bravely  did  the  dauntless  leader  perform  his  part.  Few 
marches  in  our  history  are  so  well  calculated  to  stir  the 
blood  of  patriotism  as  the  details  of  this  final  move  in  the 
conquest  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 

The  importance  of  this  campaign  of  George  Rogers  Clark, 
including  the  conquest  of  the  Illinois  country,  cannot  be 
over-estimated.  Had  the  country  between  the  Ohio  and  the 
Mississippi  been  in  the  possession  of  the  British  when  the 
treaty  of  1783  was  made  it  would  undoubtedly  have  re- 
mained theirs,  as  did  Canada.  Conquest  and  possession 
made  it  as  much  United  States  territory  as  that  beyond  the 
Alleghany  mountains. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  the  record  of  such  a  man 
as  George  Rogers  Clark  cannot  be  glory  covered  to  the  end. 
But  such  was  not  to  be  the  case.  The  state  of  Virginia  did 
not  realize  how  great  things  their  heroic  soldier  of  fortune 
had  accomplished.  His  request  for  further  commissions 
was  refused;  his  debts  contracted  in  the  name  of  his  state 
were  neglected.  Hurt  to  the  quick,  and  heartsore,  the  hero 
of  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes,  while  yet  in  years  but  a  young 
man,  retired  to  comparative  privacy  in  the  vicinity  of  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  and  there,  in  1818,  after  severe  sufferings 
from  rheumatism  and  paralysis,  the  after  effects  of  the  ex- 
posures he  had  endured,  he  passed  away  and  was  buried  at 
Locust  Grove  near  that  city. 


80 


CHAPTER  VIII 

FROM  THE  REVOLUTION  TO  STATEHOOD  (1783  TO  l8l8) 

George  Rogers  Clark  had  taken  the  fortified  posts  of  the 
British  within  the  Illinois  territory.  In  all  the  region  from 
the  lakes  to  the  Ohio  river  there  was  not  a  fort  the  British 
could  claim.  When  the  commissioners  came  to  form  the 
treaty  of  Paris  in  1783,  the  fact  that  the  Americans  had 
conquered  and  taken  possession  of  this  region  was  sufficient 
to  turn  the  scale  in  favor  of  permanent  possession.  So  it 
came  about  that  all  the  country  below  the  lakes  to  the  Span- 
ish possessions  on  the  south  became  the  undisputed  prop- 
erty of  the  United  Colonies. 

It  was  the  Virginia  colony  that  had  claimed,  under  her 
"from  sea  to  sea"  charter,  all  the.  Illinois  country.  It  was 
the  governor  of  Virginia,  Patrick  Henry,  that  had  author- 
ized George  Rogers  Clark  to  take  possession  of  the  country. 
It  was  in  the  name  of  Virginia  that  Clark  had  acted,  and  to 
Virginia  he  made  his  report. 

Virginia  was  not  slow  in  following  up  the  advantage 
gained  by  her  adventurous  soldiers.  Kaskaskia  was  taken 
in  July,  1778.  In  October  of  that  year  The  Assembly  of 
Virginia  made  provisions  for  a  form  of  temporary  govern- 
ment for  the  Illinois  country.  On  the  fifteenth  of  the  fol- 
lowing June,  John  Todd,  one  of  Clark's  colonels,  issued  a 
proclamation  at  Kaskaskia,  organizing  the  country  into  a 
county  of  Virginia  to  be  known  as  Illinois  county.     This 

81 


county  included  all  of  the  Northwest  to  which  Virginia  had 
any  semblance  of  a  claim ;  Todd  remained  as  governor  until 
August  18,  1882,  when  he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Blue 
Lick  Springs  in  Kentucky.  He  was  succeeded  by  Timothy 
Montbrun,  a  Frenchman. 

As  the  treaty  of  peace  signed  in  1783  set  at  rest  all  doubts 
as  to  the  possession  of  the  country,  it  ceased  to  be  so  im- 
portant a  subject  as  it  had  been.  There  was  enough  to 
occupy  the  attention  of  the  young  nation  nearer  the  center 
of  population.  The  French  in  the  valley  had  about  all  taken 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  American  government  and 
seemed  happy  and  contented. 

In  1 78 1  a  party  of  American  settlers  crossed  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  descended  the  Ohio  in  a  flatboat  called  "The  Ark," 
and  with  great  labor  forced  it  up  the  Mississippi  to  a  point 
within  the  present  limits  of  Monroe  county.  Here  they 
landed  and  established  the  first  permanent  American  settle- 
ment in  the  present  limits  of  Illinois.  They  called  their 
settlement  New  Design.  It  was  only  a  small  colony,  but 
it  was  the  advance  guard  of  a  different  class  of  settlers  from 
that  the  Mississippi  valley  had  heretofore  known.  They  had 
come  to  make  farms,  to  cultivate  the  soil,  to  establish  per- 
manent homes  and  to  possess  the  land  for  industrial  pur- 
poses. It  wa.s  a  long  hard  struggle,  into  the  particulars  of 
which  we  cannot  go  at  present. 

On  March  1,  1784,  the  state  of  Virginia  ceded  all  her 
possessions  west  of  the  Ohio  to  the  general  government. 
The  other  colonies  soon  did  the  same.  In  this  way  the  new 
government  came  into  possession  of  a  vast  tract  of  land 
which  could  be  divided  up  and  sold  to  settlers.  In  May, 
1785,  Congress  passed  an  act  providing  for  the  survey  of  all 
this  vast  region.  Here  began  that  elaborate  system  of  sur- 
veys which  has  been  in  use  ever  since,  and  which  has  given 
to  this  country  the  best,  the  simplest  and  the  most  complete 
system  known  to  the  world. 

In  1787  the  famous  Ordinance  for  the  government  of  the 

82 


83 


territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  was  passed  by  Congress. 
The  same  year  General  Arthur  St.  Clair  was  made  governor 
of  all  the  territory.  In  1788  he  reached  Marietta,  the  oldest 
American  settlement  in  Ohio.  In  1790  he,  with  the  judges 
of  the  superior  court,  descended  the  Ohio  river  in  flatboats 
to  the  present  site  of  Cincinnati.  Here  they  laid  out  a  county 
large  enough  to  include  all  the  settlements  in  that  neighbor- 
hood and  called  it  Hamilton  county.  They  proceeded  down 
the  river  and  up  the  Mississippi  to  Kaskaskia,  and  there 
laid  out  two  counties,  to  include  all  the  settlements  in  that 
part  of  the  territory.  The  boundary  line  of  one  began  near 
the  present  town  of  Tazewell,  on  the  Illinois  river,  ran 
straight  to  the  site  of  Fort  Massac,  then  followed  the  Ohio, 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  to  the  place  of  beginning.  This 
county  was  called  St.  Clair.  All  to  the  east  of  this  and 
south  of  the  Illinois  was  known  as  Knox  county.  A  court 
was  established  at  Cahokia  and  the  forms  of  federal  gov- 
ernment begun.  In  1795  the  settlements  in  the  Illinois  coun- 
try and  the  commencement  of  the  courts  justified  the  estab- 
lishing of  another  county.  A  line  was  drawn  a  little  south 
of  the  settlement  of  New  Design,  east  and  west  from  the 
Mississippi,  to  the  Knox  county  line,  and  all  south  of  that 
line  was  called  Randolph  county.  These  county  lines  were 
frequently  changed. 

We  may  pause  here  to  take  note  of  an  interesting  inci- 
dent in  the  early  history  of  Cohokia  that  has  but  recently 
come  to  light.  It  is  claimed  that  here  in  this  little  French 
village  close  by  the  Mississippi,  began  the  public  schools 
of  Illinois.  The  old  court  house,  used  by  the  judges  under 
St.  Clair,  stood  for  years,  undisturbed.  Recently  it  was 
bought  by  an  association  of  citizens  of  Chicago  and  removed 
to  Wooded  Island  in  Jackson  Park,  where  it  stands,  a  relic 
of  the  past,  to  remind  us  of  the  primitive  simplicity  of 
those  times.  An  old  document  was  found  bearing  date 
May  6,  1794,  addressed  to  the  judges  of  the  court.  It  is 
written  in  French,  which  when  translated  reads  as  follows : 

84 


85 


"To  the  Gentlemen,  the  Judges  of  the  Honorable  Court 
of  Cahokia: 

"The  inhabitants  of  the  parish  of  the  Holy  Family  of 
Cahokia  have  the  honor  to  express  to  you  at  their  assembly 
that  they  have  the  desire  to  establish  a  school  in  the  said 
parish  (or  town)  for  the  instruction  of  their  children. 

"As  they  are  obliged  to  do  many  necessary  public  works 
in  the  parish,  they  cannot  at  once  undertake  the  construction 
of  a  building  necessary  to  hold  the  said  school,  so  these  rep- 
resentatives ask  you  gentlemen  that  you  allow  them  to  hold 
the  said  school  in  your  audience  room  of  the  courthouse  until 
they  construct  a  building  which  will  oblige  all  the  inhabitants 
whose  children  have  their  instruction  in  the  school  and  in 
which  case,  should  there  arise  any  defacement  of  the  said 
audience  room,  they  will  leave  it  in  the  best  condition  which 
you  judge  necessary  and  proper. 

"That  is  why  they  supplicate  you  to  accord  them  this 
request  as  being  necessary  for  the  public  good.  In  this  cause 
they  submit  themselves  to  your  good  will  and  have  the  honor 
to  be,  very  respectfully, 

"Your  very  humble  and  very  obedient  servants, 

"LOUIS  SEBRUN, 
"LOUIS  GRAND. 

"Cahokia,  6  May,  1794.' 

This,  according  to  the  historians,  was  the  first  request  for 
a  public  school  in  Illinois  after  the  revolutionary  war  when, 
under  one  of  our  first  laws,  one  section  in  each  township  was 
set  aside  for  school  purposes. 

With  the  erection  in  Jackson  park  of  the  old  courthouse 
in  which  the  first  Illinois  schools  were  held,  Chicago  now 
possesses  the  only  original  historic  public  building  west  of 
Boston  or  north  of  New  Orleans.  The  structure  was  the 
seat  of  local  government  at  Cahokia,  in  what  is  the  oldest 
county  in  the  state.  The  little  building  is  constructed  of 
square  black  walnut  logs,  about  ten  inches  square  on  the  ends 

86 


87 


and  one  story  high.  The  logs  are  set  up  on  end  in  the  style  of 
the  construction  of  the  French  period.  The  overhanging 
roof  makes  the  top  of  the  porch,  which  extends  all  around  it. 
At  the  end  is  a  chimney  and  fireplace,  with  the  old  hand- 
wrought  andirons. 

In  May,  1800,  the  Northwest  territory  was  divided.  The 
part  containing  the  present  states  of  Indiana,  Michigan,  Wis- 
consin and  Illinois  was  set  off  and  called  Indiana  Territory. 
William  Henry  Harrison  was  made  governor  of  this  terri- 
tory. The  capital  of  the  new  territory  was  fixed  at  Vin- 
cennes.  In  1805  this  territory  was  again  divided.  The  part 
known  as  Michigan  was  cut  off  and  named  Michigan  terri- 
tory. In  1809  another  division  was  made.  At  this  time  In- 
diana was  set  off  by  itself  much  as  it  is  at  present,  while  all 
of  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  the  peninsular  part  of  Michigan 
was  organized  into  the  Illinois  territory.  Ninian  Edwards 
was  appointed  governor  and  the  seat  of  government  was 
fixed  at  Kaskaskia. 

In  1 8 12  a  territorial  legislature  was  elected  by  the  people. 
Three  new  counties  were  established — Madison,  Gallatin 
and  Johnson.    This  made  five  counties  in  Illinois. 

Then  came  the  war  of  1812  with  the  British.  In  this  war 
Illinois  had  some  slight  part.  The  most  tragic  event,  and 
the  only  one  with  which  we  shall  attempt  to  deal,  is  the 
massacre  at  Fort  Dearborn,  which  occurred  on  the  fifteenth 
of  August,  181 2.  Indian  raids  and  massacres  had  deter- 
mined the  government  to  erect  a  line  of  forts  all  along  the 
western  frontier  to  protect  the  settlers.  Detroit  was  to  the 
north  of  this  line.  In  1795  General  Wayne  defeated  the 
Indians  at  the  Falls  of  the  Maumee  river,  and  a  fort  called 
Fort  Wayne  was  established  at  this  point. 

Friction  had  existed  between  the  English  and  the  Ameri- 
cans from  the  close  of  the  Revolution.  Bad  faith  was 
charged  on  both  sides.  The  English  in  Canada  had  en- 
couraged the  organization  of  the  Indians  against  the  Ameri- 
cans to  the  south,  and  it  is  said  had  paid  them  for  scalps 

88 


taken  by  their  raiding  parties.  All  along  the  border  line 
and  reaching  down  to  the  Ohio  river  there  were  frequent 
massacres  of  white  settlers. 

It  is  impossible  for  us  to  realize  the  horror  of  one  of  these 
Indian  surprises  and  the  devastation  left  behind  one  of  their 
raids.  It  is  one  of  the  most  astounding  paradoxes  of  human 
nature  that  in  spite  of  massacres  and  outrages,  in  field  and 
in  home,  the  population  increased. 

As  the  impending  struggle  between  the  states  and  the 
English  government  drew  near  the  Indians  became  more 
aggressive  and  their  confederacies  became  stronger  and 
more  compact. 

When  the  declaration  of  war  was  made,  in  June,  1812, 
the  news  was  at  once  spread  by  fleet-footed  messengers 
among  all  the  western  tribes,  and  they  believed  the  time  had 
come  when,  with  British  bayonets  and  Indian  scalping 
knives,  the  whites  were  to  be  driven  from  the  hunting 
grounds  of  their  fathers. 

General  Hull  was  sent  to  Fort  Detroit  to  hold  the  place 
against  the  British.  The  Illinois  country  was  included  in 
his  command.  At  Chicago,  Fort  Dearborn  had  been  built 
in  1803  and  was  held  by  a  small  garrison  under  Captain 
Heald.  Finding  that  the  forest  paths  were  beset  and  guarded 
by  bands  of  Indians,  General  Hull  sent  word  to  Captain 
Heald  that  if  he  could  not  hold  the  fort  until  aid  could 
reach  him  he  should  withdraw  his  garrison  and  proceed  at 
once  to  Fort  Wayne.  The  message  reached  Fort  Dearborn 
on  the  ninth  of  August.  Large  forces  of  Indians  were  al- 
ready gathering  about  the  place  and  Captain  Heald  decided 
to  abandon  the  place.  His  subordinate  officers  protested, 
but  he  insisted  and  fixed  upon  the  fifteenth  as  the  time  for 
their  departure. 

On  the  evening  of  the  twelfth  Captain  Heald  held  a  con- 
ference with  the  Indians  outside  the  fort.  He  agreed  to 
leave  the  fort  with  all  his  men  and  to  turn  over  to  them  all 
the  supplies,  including  the  ammunition,  provided  they  should 

89 


give  him  a  safe  escort  to  Fort  Wayne.  The  garrison  ob- 
jected to  giving  the  powder  and  ball  to  the  Indians  who 
might  use  them  in  an  attack.  Finally  the  powder  was  thrown 
into  a  well  and  the  liquor  was  emptied  into  the  river.  The 
Indians  learned  of  this  fact  and,  believing  themselves  de- 
ceived and  cheated,  considered  that  they  were  freed  from 
all  obligations  to  furnish  a  safe  escort. 

On  the  night  of  the  fourteenth  John  Kinzie  brought  his 
family  into  the  fort  for  protection,  and  the  few  other  set- 
tlers in  the  neighborhood  did  the  same.  Wagons  were 
loaded  with  the  things  needed  for  the  trip,  and  twenty-five 
rounds  of  ammunition  were  dealt  out  to  each  man. 

At  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  fifteenth  of  August 
the  little  cavalcade  filed  out  from  the  doomed  fortress  and 
began  its  march  along  the  sandy  shore  of  the  river.  The 
Chicago  river  at  that  time  had  its  mouth  much  farther  south 
than  at  the  present.  It  emptied  into  the  lake  near  the  pres- 
ent end  of  Madison  street.  The  whole  company  consisted 
of  sixty-six  soldiers  of  the  garrison,  Captain  Wells,  of  Fort 
Wayne,  with  thirty  friendly  Miami  Indians,  and  about  thirty 
settlers,  women  and  children. 

When  the  company  reached  the  place  which  is  now  the 
foot  of  Eighteenth  street  they  were  attacked  by  an  over- 
whelming force  of  Indians  that  had  been  slowly  gathering 
about  them.  The  friendly  Miamis  fled  at  the  first  attack. 
The  soldiers  of  the  garrison  and  the  settlers  fought  bravely, 
but  in  twenty  minutes  the  struggle  was  over.  About  fifteen 
Indians  were  killed.  Of  the  white  dead  there  were  twenty- 
six  soldiers,  twelve  settlers,  two  women  and  twelve  children 
left  on  the  field.  The  others,  consisting  of  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Heald,  Mrs.  Helm,  twenty-five  soldiers,  and  eleven  women 
and  children  were  prisoners.  More  than  half  of  them  were 
wounded.  Most  of  the  wounded  were  killed  that  night  by 
the  merciless  savages. 

The  story  of  the  survivors  of  this  massacre  is  thrilling. 
They  were  scattered  from  the  banks  of  the  Wabash  to 

90 


Mackinac.  Most  of  them  were  eventually  ransomed  and 
returned  to  the  white  settlements. 

At  the  foot  of  Eighteenth  street,  near  the  spot  where  this 
awful  massacre  occurred,  stands  today  a  group  of  bronze 
figures  upon  a  massive  granite  pedestal.  It  represents  the 
saving  of  Mrs.  Helm  by  Black  Partridge,  a  friendly  Indian 
chief,  during  the  heat  of  the  struggle.  It  stands  there  to 
remind  us  of  the  agonies,  worse  than  death,  through  which 
our  frontier  forefathers  passed  as  they  laid  deep  and  strong 
the  foundations  of  civilization  in  this  western  country. 

From  this  time  to  the  close  of  the  war  in  1814,  parties  of 
soldiers  were  going  to  and  fro  in  the  state,  seeking  out  hos- 
tile Indians,  burning  their  villages  and  destroying  their 
crops,  but  there  was  nothing  approaching  a  battle  and  little 
that  deserved  the  name  of  warfare. 

As  stated  above,  in  18 12  the  state  entered  upon  its  second 
stage  of  territorial  government.  A  legislature,  consisting  of 
five  members  of  the  legislative  council  and  seven  members 
of  the  house,  was  elected  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  five 
counties.  This  general  assembly  held  its  first  session  at 
Kaskaskia  in  November  and  December  of  1812.  It  reen- 
acted  many  of  the  old  territorial  laws  and  elected  Shadrach 
Bond  to  be  the  territorial  delegate  to  Congress.  During  his 
term  as  delegate  Bond  secured  the  passage  by  Congress  of 
the  first  preemption  law.  This  law  provided  that  when  a 
settler  had  made  improvements  upon  a  piece  of  land  be- 
longing to  the  government  he  could  not  be  displaced  by  an- 
other purchaser  until  he  had  been  given  a  chance  to  buy  the 
land  from  the  government. 

Population  increased  very  rapidly  from  1812  to  181 8. 
Many  soldiers  from  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  who 
came  into  the  state  to  protect  the  settlers  during  the  war, 
were  so  well  pleased  with  the  country  that  they  came  back 
with  their  families  and  became  permanent  residents.  Be- 
fore 1818  ten  new  counties  were  formed,  making  fifteen  in 

91 


92 


all,  and  the  total  population  had  increased  to  about  forty 
thousand. 

Early  in  1818  a  petition  was  presented  to  Congress 
through  Nathaniel  Pope,  then  the  Illinois  delegate,  asking 
an  act  to  enable  the  territory  of  Illinois  to  form  a  state  gov- 
ernment. Such  an  act  was  passed  April  18,  fixing  the 
boundaries  of  the  state  and  the  provisions  under  which  it 
might  be  admitted  to  the  Union.  After  much  tribulation  and 
no  little  scheming  the  conditions  were  complied  with  to  the 
satisfaction  of  Congress,  and  the  bill  which  made  Illinois  a 
state  received  the  signature  of  President  Monroe  on  the 
fourth  of  December,  1818. 


93 


CHAPTER  IX 

ACQUIRING  TITLE  TO  THE  SOIL 

It  will  be  useful  for  us  to  review  briefly  the  various  claims 
to  the  soil  of  our  state  and  the  steps  by  which  it  was  finally 
vested  in  the  people  of  Illinois. 

Omitting  all  consideration  of  the  original  occupants,  the 
Indians,  we  learn  that  in  1497  one>  Jomi  Cabot,  and  his  son 
Sebastian  made  certain  "voyages  of  discovery"  under  the 
patronage  of  the  English  king,  Henry  VII.  In  one  of  these 
voyages  it  is  claimed  that  the  shore  of  the  continent  was 
coasted  from  Labrador  to  the  Carolinas,  and  upon  this  claim 
was  based  the  right  of  England  to  occupy  and  dispose  of 
the  lands  within  these  latitudes  and  extending  as  far  west 
as  the  western  sea — wheresoever  that  might  be.  Other  na- 
tions did  not  seem  to  seriously  question  this  claim,  and  upon 
it  rests  the  original  title  of  England  to  American  soil. 

"In  the  year  of  our  Lord  1497  John  Cabot,  a  Venetian, 
and  his  sonne  Sebastian, — discovered  that  land  which  no 
man  before  that  time  had  attempted,  on  the  24th  of  June 
(July)  about  five  of  the  clock,  early  in  the  morning." — 
Voyages  of  the  English  Nation  to  America,  Vol.  1,  p.  24 — 
Hakluyt. 

The  English  king  in  time  gave  charters  to  various  com- 
panies for  the  settlement  of  these  lands.  In  1606,  a  charter, 
known  as  the  Virginia  charter,  was  given,  with  very  indefi- 
nite boundary  lines  between  the  thirty-fourth'  and  thirty- 

94 


fifth  degrees  north  latitude.  In  1609  this  charter  was  modi- 
fied, locating  the  lands  of  Virginia  between  lines  two  hun- 
dred miles  north  and  two  hundred  miles  south  of  Old  Point 
Comfort.  If  lines  be  drawn  east  and  west  as  here  indicated, 
they  will  follow  very  closely  the  thirty-fourth  and  fortieth 
parallels.  By  this  arrangement,  all  the  central  and  southern 
parts  of  the  present  Illinois  fell  within  the  Virginia  limits. 
Following  the  original  north  by  northwest  line  named  in 
the  1606  charter,  which  Virginia  continued  to  claim,  all 
of  the  Illinois  country  fell  within  the  Virginia  grant. 

In  1 62 1  a  charter  was  given  the  Massachusetts  colony 
which  conveyed  territory  "from  sea  to  sea"  between  the 
fortieth  and  forty-eighth  degrees  of  latitude.  In  1662  a 
charter  was  given  to  Connecticut  conveying  territory  as 
wide  as  the  present  state  and  reaching  from  "sea  to  sea." 

These  various  charters  were  frequently  modified,  and,  as 
can  be  easily  seen,  the  grants  of  land  overlapped  each  other. 
The  truth  is,  the  king  and  his  councillors  who  gave  the 
charters,  and  the  grantees  who  were  bargaining  for  them, 
were  all  alike  ignorant  of  the  geography  of  the  country 
which  they  were  dividing  up.  It  was  all  a  terra  incognita 
to  them,  and  the  most  vague  and  indefinite  notions  prevailed 
as  to  the  location  and  extent  of  the  New  World. 

As  the  result  of  these  various  charters,  a  strip  of  country 
across  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  present  state  of 
Illinois  was  claimed  as  belonging  by  the  charter  of  1621  to 
Massachusetts.  Just  to  the  south  of  this  was  a  strip  claimed 
by  Connecticut  under  the  charter  of  1662,  while  the  rest  of 
the  state  was  conceded  to  belong  to  Virginia. 

Long  after  these  charters  were  granted,  the  French  came 
up  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  across  the  Great  Lakes 
and  down  the  Mississippi  valley,  making  theirs  by  posses- 
sion the  lands  which  the  colonists  held  only  by  charter. 
This  invasion  and  possession  lasted  from  1673,  when  Mar- 
quette and  Joliet,  as  the  representatives  of  the  French  king, 

95 


crossed  this  country,  until  1763,  when,  as  the  result  of 
unsuccessful  war,  France  ceded  all  of  her  possessions  on 
the  American  continent  to  Great  Britain. 

England  does  not  seem  in  any  way  to  have  recognized  the 
old  charter  rights  of  the  colonies  to  these  lands  west  of  the 
Alleghanies  after  this  war,  but  proceeded  to  treat  them  as 
she  did  the  lands  to  the  north  of  the  Lakes. 

The  revolution  came,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  strife  and 
turmoil  George  Rogers  Clark  appeared  and,  in  the  name  of 
Virginia,  captured  the  Illinois  country  from  the  British  in  that 
famous  Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes  campaign  of  1778-9.  At 
once  the  title  of  Virginia  to  the  Illinois  country  was  revived, 
and  it  was  at  once  organized  into  a  county  of  Virginia,  and 
this  was  its  legal  status  from  1778  to  1787. 

In  March,  1784,  Virginia  made  a  conditional  cession  of 
all  her  lands  west  and  northwest  of  the  Ohio  to  the  United 
States  government.  In  April,  1785,  Massachusetts  joined 
her  in  this  cession.  In  September,  1786,  Connecticut  gave 
up  her  claims.  Thus  the  territory  embraced  in  the  present 
state  of  Illinois  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States. 
Then  followed  the  great  ordinance  of  1787  for  the  govern- 
ment of  this  territory  northwest  of  the  Ohio  river.  Under 
this  ordinance  a  government  was  organized  and  carried  on 
from  1790  to  1809.  During  this  latter  period  the  name  Illi- 
nois was  not  used  to  designate  the  territory.  ( It  was  known 
as  Indiana  territory.)  But  in  1809  the  boundaries  were 
changed,  a  territorial  government  was  established  over  the 
Illinois  country,  and  the  name  Illinois  was  restored.  In 
18 12  the  first  territorial  legislature  was  elected,  consisting 
of  twelve  members  in  all.  In  April,  1818,  the  enabling  act 
was  passed,  and  in  December  of  the  same  year  Illinois  be- 
came a  full-fledged  state,  one  of  the  sovereign  members  of 
the  Union. 

A  brief  outline  of  these  various  changes  may  help  us  to 
associate  them  more  readily. 

96 


The  Various  Claimants  to  the  Illinois  Country. 

i.     The  English, — by  Cabot's  discovery,  1497. 

2.  The  Colonies  by  original  charters — 

Virginia,  1609. 
Massachusetts,  1621. 
Connecticut,  1662. 

3.  The  French,  by  exploration  and  occupation,  1673-1763. 

4.  The  English,  by  treaty  of  Paris,  1763. 

5.  Virginia,  by  conquest  of  George  Rogers  Clark,  1778-9. 

(Ceded  to  the  United  States  by  treaty  of  1783.) 

6.  The  United  States,  by  cession — 

Virginia,  1784. 

Massachusetts,  1785. 

Connecticut,  1786. 

(Governed  under  the  Ordinance,  1787- 1809.) 

7.  Illinois  Territory,  1809- 1818. 

(Name  Illinois  suppressed  from  1787  to  1809.) 

8.  State  of  Illinois  from  December  4,  1818, 


97 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   STATE   CONSTITUTIONS 

Illinois  is  now  being  governed  under  the  provisions  of  its 
third  constitution.  The  first  dated  from  the  admission  as  a 
state  in  1818,  the  second  from  1848,  and  the  third  from 
1870.  There  is  a  general  feeling  that  a  fourth  constitution 
is  greatly  needed  owing  to  the  rapid  development  and  mar- 
velous changes  of  the  past  forty  years,  but  the  political 
managers  upon  one  side  and  the  people  upon  the  other, 
through  fear  of  objectionable  features  that  might  find  place 
in  a  new  constitution,  have  prevented  its  enactment. 

Under  the  ordinance  of  1787  it  was  provided  that  the 
Northwest  Territory  should  be  divided  up  into  not  less 
than  three  states,  and  that  to  secure  admission  by  any  one 
of  these  states  a  population  of  not  less  than  sixty  thousand 
should  be  shown.  When  the  petition  from  Illinois  was 
received  by  Congress,  an  amendment  was  made  accepting 
forty  thousand  as  the  requisite  number. 

Our  territorial  delegate  in  Congress,  Mr.  Nathaniel  Pope, 
succeeded  also  in  having  the  northern  boundary  moved  from 
a  line  running  directly  west  from  the  most  southern  point 
of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  parallel  forty-two  degrees  and 
thirty  minutes  north  latitude,  thus  giving  the  state  sixty 
miles  of  lake  shore  and  securing  Chicago  harbor  for  Illinois 
instead  of  for  Wisconsin.    We  are  under  a  great  debt  of 

98 


gratitude  to  Mr.  Pope  for  his  wise  and  statesman-like 
management  in  bringing  the  new  state  into  the  Union. 

Mr.  Pope  secured  also  another  amendment  to  the  Ordi- 
nance. It  was  provided  that  five  per  cent  of  the  money 
received  from  the  sale  of  public  lands  in  the  states  should  be 
devoted  to  public  works,  such  as  building  roads  and  digging 
canals.  This  was  amended  so  that  three-fifths  of  this  money 
could  be  set  aside  for  public  school  purposes,  one-sixth  of 
which  should  be  given  over  for  the  benefit  of  a  college  or 
university.  This  was  the  foundation  for  our  state  fund  for 
the  public  schools  and  for  our  great  and  growing  university 
at  Champaign. 

The  convention  for  framing  the  first  constitution  met 
at  Kaskaskia,  August  3,  1818,  and  completed  its  work 
on  the  twenty-sixth  of  the  same  month.  As  stated  else- 
where, there  were  then  fifteen  counties  in  the  state.  St. 
Clair,  Madison  and  Gallatin  sent  three  delegates  each  to  this 
convention,  the  others  two  each,  making  a  total  of  thirty- 
three  delegates.  One  delegate  died  during  the  meeting, 
leaving  but  thirty-two  in  actual  attendance. 

This  constitution  of  18 18  was  never  submitted  to  the 
people  for  approval  or  rejection.  It  was  comparatively  a 
brief  document,  occupying  but  nine  pages  in  the  statute 
book,  as  against  twenty-three  pages  of  the  present  constitu- 
tion. It  shows  very  litle  confidence  in  the  vox  populi.  As 
little  as  possible  was  left  to  popular  vote  for  decision.  The 
provisions  were  copied  chiefly  from  the  constitutions  of 
Kentucky,  New  York,  Ohio  and  Indiana.  The  only  officers 
the  people  were  permitted  to  elect  were  the  governor,  lieu- 
tenant governor,  sheriff  and  coroner.  All  other  officers  were 
appointed  by  or  with  the  advice  of  the  legislature.  Com- 
paring this  with  the  provisions  of  the  present  constitution, 
we  see  that  great  advance  has  been  made  in  trusting  the 
people  to  manage  their  own  affairs.  Local  self-government 
has  undergone  a  rapid  and  radical  change  in  the  last  three- 
quarters  of  a  century. 

99 


One  thing  this  constitution  did  which  was  an  advance 
upon  all  previous  organic  enactments — it  abolished  imprison- 
ment for  debt.  Article  VIII,  section  15,  reads:  "No 
person  shall  be  imprisoned  for  debt  unless  upon  refusal  to 
deliver  up  his  estate  for  the  benefit  of  his  creditors."  If 
such  a  provision  had  existed  in  the  constitution  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Robert  Morris,  .the  financial  patriot  of  the  Revo- 
lution, had  not  been  forced  to  spend  four  years  of  his  old 
age  in  prison. 

This  constitution  gave  great  latitude  to  the  legislature 
in  pledging  the  credit  of  the  state ;  this  was  the  most  serious 
weakness  of  the  document.  It  led  to  financial  embarrass- 
ment, bringing  the  state  to  the  verge  of  bankruptcy.  The 
present  constitution  has  erected  effectual  safeguards  against 
this  tendency  to  contract  debts. 

Next  after  the  latitude  allowed  the  legislature  to  abuse 
the  credit  of  the  state,  the  provision  that  gave  rise  to  the 
most  serious  complications  was  that  of  Article  VI,  in  refer- 
ence to  slavery.  It  is  ambiguous  and  capable  of  being  so 
construed  as  to  permit  slavery  as  effectually  as  it  existed  in 
Kentucky.  This  brought  on  the  bitter  contest  of  1823-4, 
in  which  the  anti-slavery  party  won  and  slavery  came  to  an 
end  in  the  state  so  far  as  any  countenance  from  the  law 
was  concerned. 

When  the  slavery  question  was  settled  in  1824  the  attacks 
upon  the  constitution  ceased  and  for  eighteen  years  little 
was  said  about  a  new  constitution.  In  1840-41  the  legis- 
lature provided  for  the  calling  of  a  constitutional  convention, 
but  it  failed  of  approval  by  the  people,  and  nothing  was 
done.  In  1844-45  the  matter  was  again  taken  up,  and  this 
time  secured  approval.  The  convention,  consisting  of  as 
many  delegates  as  there  were  members  entitled  to  the 
general  assembly,  met  at  Springfield,  June  7,  1847,  an(* 
completed  its  work  by  the  thirty-first  of  August;  this  con- 
stitution was  ratified  by  the  people  March  6,  1848,  and  went 
into  effect  on  the  first  day  of  April  of  that  year. 

100 


The  marked  change  observed  in  comparing  the  constitu- 
tions of  1818  and  1848  is  along  the  line  of  popular  govern- 
ment,— the  placing  of  greater  power  in  the  hands  of  the 
people.  The  powers  of  the  legislature  were  curtailed  both 
in  the  expending  of  moneys  and  in  the  appointment  of 
officers.  This  constitution,  in  length,  stands  about  midway 
between  that  of  1818  and  1870,  occupying  about  fourteen 
pages  on  the  statute  book. 

It  was  only  a  few  years  until  the  people  and  the  press 
began  to  discover  weaknesses  and  limitations  in  the  new 
constitution  that  were  detrimental  to  the  best  interests  and 
the  growth  of  the  state.  A  demand  went  up  for  a  new 
constituion,  and  in  1862  a  convention  was  called ;  but  it  was 
in  the  storm  and  stress  of  the  civil  war,  and  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  the  people  refused  to  approve  a  document 
wrought  out  at  such  a  time.  However,  the  need  of  a  better 
constitution  was  evident  to  all,  and  in  1869,  under  more 
favorable  conditions,  a  second  convention  was  assembled  at 
Springfield.  This  resulted  in  the  present  constitution,  which 
was  approved  by  the  people  July  2,  1870,  and  went  into  effect 
on  the  eighth  of  August  of  the  same  year. 

As  it  stands  today,  this  is  perhaps  one  of  the  best  state 
constitutions  in  the  Union.  The  state,  however,  in  its  rapid 
development  has  outgrown  many  of  the  provisions,  and 
frequent  patching  by  way  of  amendment  has  been  resorted 
to  that  it  may  continue  to  serve  its  original  purpose. 

The  space  limitations  of  this  booklet  precludes  the  possi- 
bility of  printing  in  this  place  a  copy  of  the  constitution  of 
the  state,  but  it  should  be  in  the  hands  of  each  teacher  and 
pupil  who  reads  this  chapter,  and  the  main  provisions 
should  be  outlined  and  discussed  at  some  length.  Familiarity 
with  the  fundamental  provisions  of  government,  either  state 
or  national,  is  well  worth  the  time  and  effort  necessary  to 
secure  it. 


101 


CHAPTER  XI 

CONSTITUTIONAL  BOUNDARY  AND  DIVISIONS 

On  the  eighteenth  of  April,  1818,  Congress  passed  an 
"enabling  act"  giving  the  people  of  Illinois  permission  to 
form  a  constitution  and  prepare  for  admission  to  the  Union 
as  a  state.  This  enabling  act  defined  the  boundaries  which 
the  proposed  state  must  accept.  This  boundary  line  is  re- 
peated in  the  constitution  of  the  state.  It  read  as  follows : 
"Beginning  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash  river,  thence  up 
the  same  and  with  the  line  of  Indiana  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  said  state ;  thence  east  with  the  line  of  said  state 
to  the  middle  of  Lake  Michigan,  thence  north  along  the 
middle  of  said  lake  to  north  latitude  forty-two  degrees  and 
thirty  minutes,  thence  west  to  the  middle  of  the  Mississippi 
river,  and  thence  down  along  the  middle  of  said  river  to 
its  confluence  with  the  Ohio,  and  thence  up  the  latter  river 
along  its  northwestern  shore  to  the  place  of  beginning." 

This  constitutes  the  official  boundary  of  the  state,  found 
not  on  the  maps  nor  in  the  geographies,  but  in  the  consti- 
tution of  the  state  and  the  enactments  of  Congress. 

This  territory,  covering  about  fifty-six  thousand  four 
hundred  square  miles,  has  been  divided  up  into  counties. 
There  have  been  many  changes  in  county  lines  since  General 
St.  Clair  came  with  his  staff  down  the  Ohio  river  on  a  flat- 
boat  and  organized  the  first  county  of  the  state.  The 
records  show  twenty-seven  readjustments  in  all,  St.  Clair, 

102 


103 


in  1790,  being  the  first,  and  Ford  county,  in  1859,  being  the 
last.  There  will  probably  be  few  changes  in  county  lines 
in  the  future.  There  are  now  one  hundred  and  two  counties 
in  the  state. 

The  constitution  of  the  United  States  says  that  the  repre- 
sentatives in  Congress  shall  be  apportioned  among  the  states 
in  the  ratio  of  their  population.  This  made  necessary  a 
general  census.  The  constitution  also  provides  for  the  time 
of  taking  this  census.  It  is  taken  every  ten  years.  The 
representation  from  any  state  may  be  changed  every  ten 
years,  either  to  fewer  or  more  members.  Illinois  has  steadily 
increased  her  numbers,  until  now  she  has  twenty-five;  con- 
sequently the  state  is  divided  into  twenty-five  congressional 
districts,  each  of  which  elects  a  representative  to  Congress 
every  two  years.     (Stat.,  p.  815.) 

The  state  has  a  legislature  copied  after  that  of  the  national 
Congress,  consisting  of  a  senate  and  a  house  of  representa- 
tives. The  state  constitution  provides  for  the  number  of 
members  in  each  house.  (Art.  IV,  Sec.  6.)  There  are 
one-half  as  many  senators  as  there  are  counties,  and  three 
times  as  many  representatives  as  there  are  senators.  This 
gives  to  the  state  legislature  fifty-one  senators  and  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-three  representatives.  The  districts  from 
which  these  members  of  the  state  legislature  are  elected  are 
also  subject  to  change  as  the  population  changes.  (Stat., 
p.  817.)  The  party  in  power  at  the  time  of  redistricting 
always  tries  to  so  divide  the  state  that  as  many  as  possible 
of  the  districts  may  be  represented  by  its  members. 

At  the  present  time,  Cook  and  Lake  counties  have  ten  of 
the  congressmen  out  of  a  possible  twenty-five,  and  Cook 
has  nineteen  of  the  state  senators  out  of  a  possible  fifty-one, 
with  fifty-seven  members  of  the  assembly  out  of  a  total  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty-three. 

In  order  to  carry  on  the  judicial  work  of  the  state  it  is 
necessary  to  have  judicial  districts  and  circuits.  The  judicial 
department  is  modeled  after  that  of  the  national  judicial 

104 


,  ADAMS 


SANGAMON 


flrrt 

IMACQW  ;        S^oFgIaS 

15 


~„  _  fvMflMKMI    SANGAMON  T"  »  1  3  1ft.  .  . . 


IbERSEY 


iri  ;s  t. 


22NJ 


^ST.CLAIR 

[MONROE   ^ 


'BONO   I 
&MADLSONJ  ]/<£< 

T  LINTON     iM"ARJ>ON 


JETTtfcON 


CONSfttSSlOML  «PPOftTlO«N»T 

c/  /po/ 


PERRY    ,. 


.UNION fclWON 


* 


R      * 


"»  « 


ios 


system.  The  state  constitution  (Art.  VI)  provides  that  "the 
judicial  powers,  except  as  in  this  article  is  otherwise  pro- 
vided, shall  be  vested  in  one  supreme  court,  circuit  courts, 
county  courts,  justices  of  the  peace,  police  magistrates,  and 
such  courts  as  may  be  created  by  law  in  and  for  cities  and 
incorporated  towns."  Provision  is  then  made  for  dividing 
the  state  into  seven  judicial  districts,  each  of  which  may 
elect  one  judge  of  the  supreme  court  to  serve  nine  years. 
The  districts  can  be  changed  by  the  state  legislature,  but 
only  at  the  session  next  preceding  the  election  of  judges. 
Cook  county  is  in  the  seventh  district. 

There  are  circuit  court  divisions  based  upon  population. 
The  constitution  forbids  more  than  one  for  one  hundred 
thousand  of  the  population.  There  are  at  present  seventeen 
such  circuits  not  counting  Cook  county.  In  judicial  matters 
Cook  county  has  had  special  provision  made  because  of  the 
great  population  massed  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  county 
constitutes  one  judicial  circuit,  and  there  are  also  superior 
and  criminal  courts  established  by  the  constitution,  and  the 
legislature  is  forbidden  to  include  this  county  in  the  re- 
districting  of  the  state  into  circuits.  The  constitution  also 
provides  for  appellate  court  districts,  the  judges  of  which 
courts  shalr  be  the  same  as  the  judges  of  the  circuit  courts, 
and  no  extra  compensation  is  allowed  for  this  service.  There 
are  four  such  districts  in  the  state,  of  which  Cook  county 
constitutes  the  first. 

In  addition  to  the  supreme,  circuit  and  appellate  courts  as 
given,  each  county  elects  its  own  county  judge,  and  if  there 
are  over  fifty  thousand  inhabitants  the  legislature  may  pro- 
vide for  the  election  of  a  probate  judge  also. 

As  a  matter  of  convenient  reference,  the  following  table 
has  been  arranged,  giving  the  counties  of  the  state  in  alpha- 
betical order  and  indicating  the  various  divisions  of  the  state 
to  which  each  belongs : 


106 


Illinois  Electoral  Districts. 


County  seat. 

o 
+j  *  ■ 

3 

a> 
02 

i 

o 

03 

w> 
a 

6 

1«J 

11 

Judicial 
Dis. 

County. 

< 

«5 

a 

U 

a 

36 
50 
47 
8 
30 
37 
36 
12 
30 
24 
40 
34 
42 
42 
34 
* 

48 
40 
35 
28 
34 
41 
22 
48 
42 
40 
26 
50 
43 
48 
38 
20 
51 
32 
48 
33 
37 
20 
44 
46 
46 
38 
12 
51 
14 
20 
14 
43 
8 
39 
48 
35 
16 
28 

15 
25 
22 
12 
20 
16 
20 
13 
20 
19 
21 
18 
24 
23 
19 
* 

23 
18 
12 
19 
19 
11 
18 
24 
23 
23 
17 
25 
15 
24 
20 
12 
24 
14 
24 
14 
15 
18 
25 
23 
23 
20 
13 
24 
11 
18 
12 
15 
10 
12 
23 
13 
17 
17 

8 
1 
3 

17 
8 

13 
8 

15 
8 
6 
4 
5 
4 
4 
5 

* 

2 
5 

16 
6 
6 

16 
5 
2 
4 
4 

11 
2 
9 
2 
7 

13 
2 
9 
2 
9 

14 

12 

i 

2 

7 
15 

1 
16 
12 
16 

9 
17 
13 

2 
15 
11 
11 

3 
4 
4 
2 
3 
2 
3 
2 
3 
3 
3 
3 
4 
4 
3 
* 

4 
3 
2 
3 
3 
2 
3 
4 
4 
4 
3 
4 
3 
4 
3 
2 
4 
3 
4 
2 
2 
2 
4 
4 
4 
3 
2 
4 
2 
2 
2 
2 
2 
2 
4 
2 
2 
3 

4 

Cairo    

1 

Bond    

Greenville     

Belvidere    

Mount  Sterling... 

Princeton   

Hardin    

?, 

Boone    

6 

4 

Bureau    

5 

Calhoun   

?, 

Carroll     

Mount  Carroll 

Virginia    

Urbana    

6 

Cass 

4 

Champaign   

Christian    

3 

Taylorville     

Marshall    

Louisville     

Carlyle    

? 

Clark   

?, 

Clay 

?, 

Clinton 

1 

Coles    

Charleston    

Chicago    

3 

Cook    

* 

Crawford    

Robinson     

Toledo     

?, 

? 

DeKalb    

Sycamore    

Clinton    

6 

DeWitt    

3 

Tuscola   

3 

DuPage    

Wheaton    

Paris    

7 

Edgar    

3 

Albion   

1 

Effingham    

Effingham    

Vandalia 

Paxton    

?, 

Fayette   

?, 

Ford   

3 

Franklin    , 

Benton    

1 

Fulton    

Lewistown    

Shawneetown   .... 

Carrollton     

Morris   

4 

Gallatin    

1 

Greene    

?, 

Grundy    

5 

Hamilton    

McLeansboro    .... 

Carthage   

Elizabethtown    . . . 

Oquawka     

Cambridge    

Watseka    

Murphysboro    

Newton   

1 

Hancock    

4 

Hardin    

1 

Henderson   

4 

Henry    

5 

Iroquois    

Jackson  

3 
1 

Jasper   

? 

Jefferson   

Mount  Vernon. . . . 

Jerseyville    

Galena    

1 

Jersey    

?, 

Jo  Daviess 

6 

Johnson  

Vienna    

1 

Kane    

Geneva    

6 

Kankakee    

Kankakee    

Yorkville 

Galesburg   

Waukegan    

7 

Kendall   

6 

Knox   

5 

Lake    

7 

LaSalle    

5 

Lawrence    

Lawrenceville    .... 

2 

Lee    

6 

Livingston    

3 

Logan    

Lincoln    

3 

*  Senatorial,  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  9,  11,  13,  15,  17,  19,  21,  23,  25,  27, 
29,  31.  Congressional,  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10.  Judicial  circuit,  not 
numbered.     Appellate,  1.     Supreme,    7. 

I07 


County. 


County  seat. 


3 

a 

o 

1 

08 

5 

u 

83 

■ 

2  3 

a 

a 

»o  S» 

5 

o 

3JS 

00 

o 

>-s  o 

28 

19 

6 

38 

21 

7 

47 

22 

3 

42 

23 

4 

16 

16 

10 

80 

20 

8 

51 

24 

1 

32 

14 

9 

8 

11 

17 

26 

17 

11 

30 

20 

4 

33 

14 

14 

44 

22 

3 

38 

21 

4 

45 

20 

7 

24 

19 

6 

10 

13 

15 

18 

16 

10 

44 

25 

3 

24 

19 

6 

36 

20 

8 

51 

24 

1 

50 

25 

1 

16 

16 

10 

44 

25 

3 

46 

23 

2 

33 

14 

14 

51 

24 

1 

45 

21 

7 

30 

15 

8 

36 

20 

7 

40 

19 

4 

37 

16 

10 

49 

22 

3 

12 

13 

15 

30 

16 

10 

50 

25 

1 

22 

18 

5 

48 

23 

2 

22 

14 

9 

44 

22 

3 

46 

24 

2 

48 

24 

2 

35 

13 

14 

41 

11 

12 

50 

25 

1 

10 

12 

17 

16 

17 

11 

Judicial 
Dis. 


Macon 
Macoupin  . 
Madison  . . 
Marion  . . . 
Marshall  . . 
Mason  .... 
Massac  . . . 
McDonough 
McHenry  . . 
McLean  . . . 
Menard  . . . 
Mercer  .... 
Monroe  . . . 
Montgomery 
Morgan  . . . 
Moultrie    . . 

Ogle 

Peoria  .... 

Perry    

Piatt   

Pike    

Pope 

Pulaski  . . . 
Putnam  . . . 
Randolph  . . 
Richland  . . 
Rock  Island 
Saline  .... 
Sangamon  . 
Schuyler    . . 

Scott   

Shelby 

Stark    

St.  Clair. . . 
Stephenson 
Tazewell    . . 

Union 

Vermilion  . 
Wabash  . . . 
Warren  . . . 
Washington 
Wayne  .... 

White 

Whiteside    . 

Will 

Williamson 
Winnebago 
Woodford    . 


Decatur   

Carlinville  . . 
Edwardsville 

Salem    

Lacon    

Havana     

Metropolis    . . 

Macomb 

Woodstock  . . 
Bloomington  . 
Petersburg    . . 

Aledo   

Waterloo  .... 
Hillsboro  . . . 
Jacksonville    . 

Sullivan    

Oregon    

Peoria    

Pinckneyville 
Montlcello    . . 

Pittsfleld   

Golconda  .... 
Mound  City.. 
Hennepin    . . . 

Chester 

Olney  

Rock  Island . . 
Harrlsburg  . . 
Springfield  . . 
Rushville  . . . 
Winchester  . . 
Shelbyville    .. 

Toulon     

Belleville 

Freeport  .... 

Pekln   

Jonesboro  . . . 
Danville  .... 
Mount  Carmel 
Monmouth  . . 
Nashville    . . . 

Fairfield    

Carmi    

Morrison  .... 

Joliet 

Marion 

Rockford  .... 
Eureka 


108 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE    CAPITALS   OF    ILLINOIS 

In  the  story  of  the  occupation  and  settlement  of  Illinois 
by  the  French  we  found  that  the  interests  of  the  colonists 
gathered  about  a  few  settlements  on  the  peninsula  reaching 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia  river  northward  to  a 
point  nearly  opposite  the  present  city  of  St.  Louis.  Here, 
in  Kaskaskia,  St.  Phillipe,  Chartres,  Cahokia,  and  Prairie 
du  Rocher,  the  people  gathered  in  greatest  numbers;  here 
their  schools  and  churches  were  established,  and  here  they 
were  wont  to  turn  for  their  laws  and  judicial  proceedings. 
When  the  country  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  English, 
these  centers  of  population,  of  which  Kaskaskia  was  the 
chief,  were  still  recognized  as  the  official  centers  of  govern- 
ment. After  1787,  when  the  American  settlers  began 
making  homes  in  the  great  Northwest,  they  were  not  so 
particular  about  clinging  to  the  rivers  and  water-courses  as 
the  French  had  been;  so  settlements  sprang  up  in  all  parts 
of  the  waste  of  prairies  and  wilderness  of  woods. 

In  1772,  when  Fort  Chartres  was  destroyed  by  the  Missis- 
sippi floods,  the  English  moved  their  seat  of  government 
for  the  Illinois  country  to  Kaskaskia.  After  George  Rogers 
Clark  had  taken  possession  of  the  country  in  the  name  of 
Virginia,  Colonel  John  Todd  set  up  a  temporary  govern- 
ment at  Kaskaskia.  This  settlement  continued  to  be  the 
chief  town  of  the  Illinois  country  until  1800,. when,  under 

109 


Governor  William  Henry  Harrison,  Illinois  became  a  part 
of  the  Indiana  territory,  and  the  seat  of  government  was 
fixed  at  Vincennes.  But  in  1809,  when  Illinois  territory 
was  organized,  Kaskaskia  again  became  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment. It  was  here  in  1812  that  the  first  territorial  legis- 
lature of  Illinois  met,  and  it  was  here  also  that  the  conven- 
tion of  18 18  met  to  frame  the  constitution  for  the  new 
state.  This  constitution  provided  that  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment should  be  at  Kaskaskia  until  the  general  assembly 
should  otherwise  provide. 

There  was  no  capitol  building  at  Kaskaskia.  Temporary 
provision  had  to  be  made  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
assemblies  called  to  meet  there.  The  first  legislature  which 
convened  at  Kaskaskia  on  November  25,  1812,  met  in  a 
rough  building  of  uncut  limestone,  with  steep  roof  and 
unpainted  boards,  located  in  the  center  of  a  square.  It  is 
claimed  by  some  that  this  building  was  the  one  occupied 
by  the  Commandant  Rocheblave  when  George  Rogers  Clark 
captured  the  place  in  1778.  The  first  floor,  a  low,  gloomy 
room,  was  fitted  up  for  the  House,  and  a  small  chamber 
above  was  arranged  for  the  Senate.  All  the  twelve  mem- 
bers, it  is  said,  boarded  at  one  house  and  lodged  in  one 
room. 

The  first  session  of  the  legislature  under  the  constitution 
of  1 81 8  appointed  a  committee  of  five  members  to  locate  a 
place  for  a  new  capital,  with  the  provision  that  the  new 
location  should  remain  the  capital  for  at  least  twenty  years. 
The  present  site  of  Vandalia  was  selected,  and  in  1820  the 
records,  documents  and  archives  of  the  state  government 
were  removed  to  that  place  in  a  small  wagon. 

The  first  state  house  consisted  of  a  small  two-story 
wooden  structure,  the  lower  floor  of  which  was  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  house,  while  the  upper  floor,  divided 
into  two  rooms,  was  for  the  senate  and  state  officers.  In 
December,  1823,  this  building  was  totally  destroyed  by  fire, 
not  a  scrap  of  furniture  being  saved  from  the  flames.    At 

no 


once  a  subscription  was  circulated  to  obtain  funds  for 
erecting  a  new  building,  and  within  three  days  sufficient 
funds  were  obtained  to  start  another  building.  This  build- 
ing, costing  about  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  stood  until  1836, 
when  it  was  torn  down  to  make  place  for  a  more  com- 
modious brick  structure,  which  still  stands,  doing  service 
as  Fayette  County's  courthouse. 

Before  the  twenty-year  period  had  expired,  a  number  of 
cities  were  urging  their  claim  to  be  made  the  capital  of  the 
state.  Alton,  Vandalia,  Springfield,  Peoria  and  many  others 
took  active  part  in  securing  petitions  and  votes  in  favor  of 
their  claims.  The  legislature  was  slow  to  act,  but  finally 
in  the  session  'of  1837,  by  the  persistent  and  diplomatic 
pressure  of  some  eight  or  nine  men,  of  whom  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  one,  Springfield  was  chosen.  Money  was 
appropriated  by  the  legislature  for  a  new  building,  and  a 
similar  amount,  with  grounds,  was  donated  by  the  city. 

The  first  legislature  to  assemble  in  Springfield  was  that 
of  the  second  session  of  the  eleventh  general  assembly.  It 
met  on  the  ninth  of  December,  1839.  The  building  was  not 
completed,  and  the  different  departments  of  the  legislature 
were  accommodated  in  the  various  churches  of  the  city.  The 
building  when  completed  cost  about  $250,000,  and  for  years 
was  the  wonder  of  the  country  round  about.  But  twenty 
years  of  growth  demanded  a  greater  building.  The  state 
had  outgrown  its  capitol.  The  legislature  of  1865  raised  the 
question  of  a  new  building,  and  at  once  an  agitation  sprang 
up  for  a  change  of  location.  Peoria  was  the  only  dangerous 
rival  to  the  capital  city.  After  a  heated  campaign,  the 
matter  was  finally  settled  by  a  vote  of  one  hundred  to 
seventy-four  in  the  legislature,  June  7,  1871.  This  probably 
settled  the  question  of  location  for  all  time  to  come.  The 
new  building  is  a  magnificent  structure  costing  about  four 
million  dollars,  and  was  completed  in  1887. 


Ill 


CHAPTER  XIII 

EVOLUTION  OF  THE  ILLINOIS  SCHOOL  LAW 

In  the  ordinance  of  1787,  Article  III,  it  is  declared  that 
"Religion,  morality  and  knowledge  being  necessary  to  good 
government  and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the 
means  of  education  shall  forever  be  encouraged." 

In  the  enabling  act,  passed  by  Congress,  April  18,  1818, 
we  find  (Sec.  6,  Prop.  1)  :  "The  section  numbered  16 
in  every  township  *  *  *  shall  be  granted  to  the  state  for 
the  use  of  the  inhabitants  of  such  township  for  the  use  of 
schools."  Proposition  3  of  the  same  section  provides  that 
three  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  of  all  public  lands  sold  in  the 
state  "shall  be  appropriated  by  the  legislature  of  the  state 
for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  of  which  one-sixth  part 
shall  be  exclusively  bestowed  upon  a  college  or  university." 

Here  we  have  the  beginnings  of  our  public  school  system. 
It  was  born  with  the  state.  The  same  act  that  created  the 
state  provided  the  means  and  made  it  obligatory  upon  the 
legislature  to  organize  a  system  of  education.  These  provi- 
sions and  the  obligations  attaching  thereto  were  accepted 
by  the  convention  at  Kaskaskia,  August  16,  1818. 

It  seems  strange  that  the  constitution  drawn  up  by  the 
same  Kaskaskia  convention  should  contain  no  reference 
whatever  to  the  subject  of  schools  or  of  school  education. 

112 


The  constitution  of  1848  contained  no  more  than  a  brief 
passing  reference  or  two  on  the  subject  of  school  taxation. 
But  the  constitution  of  1870  contains  ample  recognition  of 
the  subject.  Article  VIII  opens  with  this  section:  "The 
general  assembly  shall  provide  a  thorough  and  efficient 
system  of  free  schools  whereby  all  children  of  this  state 
may  receive  a  good  common  school  education."  Then  follow 
the  provisions  concerning  the  administration  of  this  consti- 
tutional obligation. 

While  the  early  state  constitutions  were  strangely  silent 
upon  the  subject,  the  legislatures  were  not  altogether  in- 
active. The  first  effort  to  frame  a  school  law  was  made  in 
1825.  Doubtless  the  members  of  the  legislature  thought 
they  were  inaugurating  and  setting  in  operation  a  most 
liberal  and  comprehensive  plan  for  the  education  of  the 
youth  of  the  state.  Unfortunately,  the  most  comprehensive 
part  of  the  plan  was  placed  in  the  preamble.  Nearly  all  of 
the  provisions  of  the  law  had  to  do  solely  with  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  funds  provided  by  the  general  government 
through  its  land  grants.  The  law  did  not  prescribe  the 
studies  that  were  to  be  taught,  nor  did  it  indicate  the 
manner  of  licensing  the  teachers  nor  the  qualifications  they 
should  possess.  The  most  limited  powers  for  local  taxation 
were  provided,  and  the  taxes  were  to  be  "levied  either  in 
cash  or  good  merchantable  produce  at  cash  prices."  Even 
this  provision  was  made  valueless  by  the  next  legislature, 
which  enacted  that  no  person  might  be  "taxed  for  the 
support  of  any  free  school  unless  his  or  her  free-will  had 
first  been  obtained  in  writing." 

There  was  some  patching  of  the  provisions  by  various 
legislatures  until  1845,  when  the  whole  school  legislation 
was  revised  and  previous  acts  not  reincorporated  were 
repealed.  In  this  revision  it  was  specifically  stated  that  the 
schools  must  be  taught  in  the  English  language  and  from 
text-books  printed  in  English.    It  also  specified  the  subjects, 

"3 


"orthography,  reading  in  English,  penmanship,  arithmetic, 
English  grammar,  modern  geography,  and  the  history  of  the 
United  States." 

More  patching  was  done  by  the  succeeding  legislatures 
until  1849,  after  tne  new  constitution  had  gone  into  effect, 
when  a  new  revision  of  the  school  law  was  made.  Then 
again  in  1857  another  revision  was  made,  which  is  the 
fullest  in  detail  of  any  attempt  up  to  that  time.  In  1865  a 
revision  was  made  again,  in  an  attempt  to  meet  the  exigen- 
cies of  the  growing  school  system  of  the  state. 

After  the  adoption  of  the  last  constitution  in  1870,  a  new 
and  more  complete  school  law  was  enacted.  This  law  was 
repeatedly  amended  until  1889,  when  it  was  thoroughly 
revised  and  recast  to  the  form  in  which  we  now  have  it. 
Of  course  many  amendments  have  been  made  since  1889, 
and,  without  doubt,  the  interests  of  the  schools  of  the  state 
would  be  subserved  by  a  general  revision,  simplification  and 
codification  of  the  school  laws  now  in  force.  To  this  task 
let  us  hope  the  educational  commission  provided  by  the 
legislature  of  1907  will  set  itself  with  broad-minded  and 
earnest  endeavor. 

The  above  is  a  brief  outline  of  the  manner  in  which  our 
school  law  has  grown  at  the  hands  of  the  legislators.  It 
does  not  hint  at  the  great  struggles,  the  anxious  days  and 
nights,  the  pleadings  and  petitionings,  the  speeches  and  let- 
ters, the  heart  burnings  and  sacrifices  of  the  friends  of  the 
public  school  system  in  their  effort  to  wring  from  the  politi- 
cal office-holders  of  the  state,  step  by  step,  a  worthy  and 
creditable  system  of  public  schools.  The  heroic  struggle 
waged  by  such  men  as  John  M.  Peck,  J.  B.  Turner,  Ninian 
W.  Edwards,  W.  F.  Arney,  Charles  E.  Hovey,  James  H. 
Blodgett,  Samuel  Willard,  Newton  Bateman,  W.  M.  Powell 
and  Richard  Edwards,  B.  G.  Roots,  and  a  host  of  others 
too  numerous  to  mention,  in  their  efforts  to  arouse  the 
conscience  of  the  state  and  to  secure  enactments  by  the 

114 


legislatures,  is  worthy  a  place  beside  the  story  of  our  other 
heroes  who  made  possible  our  greatness  and  maintained  our 
honor  upon  other  fields. 

A  copy  of  the  latest  school  law  should  be  at  hand  for 
reference  by  all  who  read  this  section.  An  outline  of  the 
general  provisions  should  be  made  so  that  discussions  of  the 
subject  may  be  intelligible. 


ii5 


CHAPTER  XIV 

SLAVERY   IN   ILLINOIS 

We  remember  (Chapt.  V)  that  in  1720  one  Francois 
Renault  took  a  gang  of  black  slaves  up  the  Mississippi. 
He  bought  these  slaves  at  St.  Domingo  on  his  way  over 
to  this  country.  He  came  up  as  far  as  the  Kaskaskia 
country,  where  he  established  himself.  The  following  year, 
with  a  part  of  his  slaves  and  some  white  miners,  he  went 
up  to  the  present  site  of  Galena  and  opened  lead  mines. 
The  mining  ventures  were  not  satisfactory,  and,  after  a 
few  years,  Renault,  discouraged,  returned  to  France,  but 
his  cargo  of  slaves  was  sold  and  distributed  among  the 
planters  of  the  Illinois  country.  This  was  the  beginning  of 
slavery  in  Illinois, — just  a  hundred  years  later  than  its 
introduction  into  the  Virginia  colony.  From  that  time 
until  i860  the  question  of  slavery  did  not  cease  to  agitate 
the  people  of  Illinois. 

France  had  given  the  colonists  legal  permission  to  hold 
slaves,  and  when,  in  1763,  England,  by  treaty,  came  into 
possession  of  the  country,  the  French  inhabitants  were 
guaranteed  their  right  and  title  to  their  slave  property. 
When  the  United  States  took  over  this  territory  from  Vir- 
ginia in  1785,  it  was  supposed  that  this  same  protection  was 
given  in  the  deed  by  which  Virginia  ceded  her  interests  in 
the  lands.  But  when  in  1787,  the  great  ordinance  was 
framed,  this  stipulation  was  ignored,  and  it  was  enacted 

116 


that  "There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor  involuntary  servi- 
tude in  said  territory  otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of 
crime." 

But  the  slaves  were  here,  and  the  ordinance  did  not 
remove  them.  The  whole  territory  in  1800  had  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  slaves.  In  18 10  the  Illinois  country 
alone  had  about  one  hundred  and  seventy,  and  in  1820  the 
number  seems  to  have  increased  to  about  one  thousand — 
this,  however,  probably  included  what  were  known  as 
"indentured  servants." 

The  early  settlements  in  Illinois  were  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  state.  They  were  made  by  people  from  slave-holding 
states,  and  it  was  very  natural  that  the  institution  of  slavery 
should  find  strong  defense  among  them.  Here  and  there 
were  men  of  anti-slavery  principles  who  insisted  upon  the 
enforcement  of  the  provisions  of  the  ordinance,  but  such 
were  in  the  minority  and  could  do  little  against  the  great 
mass  of  settlers  and  the  interested  slave-holding  population 
along  the  border.  It  was  impossible  to  enforce  the  law, 
although  numerous  subterfuges  and  evasions  were  made 
necessary  in  order  to  protect  the  increasing  slave  property. 

In  1803  a  law  was  passed  in  the  territorial  legislature 
permitting  persons  to  hold  indentured  servants  and  requir- 
ing the  children  of  such  servants  to  serve  their  masters 
until  they  were  twenty-eight  or  thirty  years  of  age.  The 
slaves  were  taken  before  a  notary  and  made  oath  that  they 
had  voluntarily  entered  into  an  agreement,  as  an  indentured 
servant,  with  the  master,  and  the  shackles  of  slavery  were 
as  effectually  fastened  upon  them  as  if  they  were  in  Ken- 
tucky. The  law  gave  the  master  thirty  days  in  which  to 
remove  any  servant  who  should  decline  to  be  a  voluntary 
slave,  and  of  course  any  such  were  hurried  across  the  river 
and  sold  on  legal  slave  territory. 

The  laws  enacted  against  the  black  man  in  these  years 
we,re  barbarous  and  degrading.  No  free  negro  could  live 
in  the  state  unless  he  could  show  a  certificate  of  freedom 


witnessed  by  some  court.  Any  black  man  without  such 
certificate  could  be  arrested  and  sold  as  a  runaway  slave. 
Any  servant  found  ten  miles  from  home  without  a  written 
permit  could  be  whipped.  A  long  list  of  such  provisions, 
all'  repugnant  to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  ordinance  which 
gave  the  legislature  its  existence,  were  passed  by  the  terri- 
torial legislatures,  all  calculated  to  fasten  slavery  upon  the 
state  and  to  make  it  almost  impossible  for  the  contagious 
sentiment  of  freedom  to  spread,  either  among  the  whites  or 
the  blacks. 

There  were  stirring  events  in  those  days — from  1800  to 
1825 — in  all  the  southern  half  of  the  state  when  this  struggle 
for  slavery  or  freedom  was  in  progress.  We  cannot  narrate 
incidents  nor  give  in  detail  the  stories  that  grew  up  in 
this  connection,  although  many  of  them  are  intensely 
interesting. 

When  Illinois  became  a  state,  in  1818,  she  was  obliged 
to  repudiate  slavery  in  her  constitution.  But  this  did  not 
drive  it  out.  We  remember  that  the  central  part  of  the 
state  was  being  filled  with  settlers  at  this  time.  The  new 
counties  were  extending  toward  the  north,  and  many  of 
the  people  came  from  states  where  slavery  did  not  exist, 
and  sentiment  against  the  institution  was  being  cultivated 
by  constant  agitation.  It  was  apparent  to  all  that  a  bitter 
struggle  was  at  hand  to  determine  whether  freedom  or 
slavery  should  prevail  in  the  state. 

In  1822  the  contest  for  governor  was  waged  upon  the 
slavery  issue.  Edward  Coles,  the  anti-slavery  candidate, 
was  elected;  but  there  were  two  opposing  candidates,  both 
of  whom  favored  slavery,  and  together  they  received  more 
than  half  the  votes.  The  legislature  was  overwhelmingly 
pro-slavery. 

Governor  Coles  at  once  forced  the  issue  upon  the  legis- 
lature by  recommending  the  immediate  emancipation  of  all 
slaves  in  the  state.  The  opposition,  in  their  anger  and  sup- 
posed strength,  determined  to  have  an  amendment  made 

118 


to  the  constitution  legalizing  slavery  in  the  state.  Here, 
then,  the  issue  was  fairly  stated  in  a  call  for  a  constitutional 
convention,  and  the  appeal  was  made  to  the  ballot  box. 

The  campaign  of  1824  was  perhaps  the  bitterest  political 
battle  ever  fought  in  the  state.  Men,  women  and  children 
took  part  in  the  agitations  and  discussions.  Every  man  that 
had  a  right  to  vote  was  sought  out  and  almost  forced  to 
go  to  the  polls.  The  election  proved  a  decided  victory  for 
the  anti-slavery  party.  The  cause  of  slavery  in  the  state 
was  dead.  The  opposition  submitted  to  the  will  of  the 
majority,  and  soon  good-feeling  prevailed  where  the  strug- 
gle had  been  most  bitter,  and  never  again  was  an  effort 
made  to  legalize  slavery  in  Illinois. 

Illinois  was  redeemed  from  the  curse  of  a  slave  state, 
but  that  did  not  remove  the  vexed  question  from  the  minds 
of  her  people.  Just  across  the  Ohio  lay  Kentucky,  a  slave 
state,  and  just  beyond  the  Mississippi  was  Missouri, — both 
of  them  within  swimming  distance  of  free  territory.  Human 
nature  cannot  be  put  in  bonds  to  legal  enactments  even 
when  the  laws  are  felt  to  be  righteous;  and  when  they  are 
felt  to  be  unrighteous,  any  expedient  but  open  rebellion  will 
often  be  used  to  evade  them  and  do  what  is  felt  to  be 
justice. 

Slavery  is  one  of  those  questions  that  arouse  the  passions 
and  stir  the  blood  of  all  who  listen  to  its  story.  It  seems 
that  the  further  removed  the  listener  is  from  the  field  of 
actual  contact,  the  more  he  is  aroused  and  the  more  violent 
is  his  denunciation. 

Thousands  of  slaves  escaped  across  the  rivers  into  Illinois, 
and  here  they  generally  found  champions  and  aids.  White 
men  organized  societies  with  secret  passwords  and  means 
of  transportation  for  hurrying  all  such  across  the  state  to 
the  Canadian  frontier,  which,  could  they  but  reach,  guar- 
anteed freedom.  Many  and  bitter  were  the  contests  on 
Illinois  soil  over  these  runaway  slaves;  but  the  "under- 
ground railroad,"  the  secret  routes  of  travel  for  the  escaping 

119 


slave,  continued  to  do  an  extensive  business,  and  many  a 
black  man  and  woman  traveled  to  liberty. 

There  were  men  who  dared  to  risk  their  property  and 
their  lives  in  speaking  and  writing  against  slavery  in  those 
days,  and  every  man  who  did  this  whether  in  Boston  or  in 
Illinois,  was  in  danger  of  mobs  and  ropes  and  bullets. 
Graves  were  opened  and  closed  over  many  an  advocate  for 
freedom  long  before  the  lines  of  blue  and  gray  faced  each' 
other  upon  southern  battlefields. 

The  most  prominent  victim  to  the  rage  of  the  slave- 
holding  sentiment  furnished  by  Illinois  was  Elijah  P.  Love- 
joy,  who,  after  suffering  various  personal  abuses  and 
mobbings,  after  having  four  printing  presses  destroyed 
because  he  insisted  upon  publishing  a  paper  in  which  he 
opposed  the  holding  of  slaves,  was  shot  and  killed  at  Alton 
on  the  night  of  November  7,  1837. 

Love  joy  was  killed  by  a  mob.  No  one  was  ever  punished 
for  the  crime,  but  it  seemed  to  startle  the  state  and  to  bring 
before  all  rational  people  the  supreme  importance  of  pro- 
tecting the  right  to  a  free  expression  of  opinion  on  the  part 
of  the  citizens  of  the  state.  This  did  not  end  mob  violence, 
but  from  this  time  on  it  was  less  and  less  dangerous  to  stand 
in  defense  of  freedom,  until  the  bloody  civil  war  came, 
bearing  on  its  forefront  the  great  emancipator,  Abraham 
Lincoln, — also  a  citizen  of  Illinois, — under  whose  leadership 
slavery  passed  forever  from  the  history  of  the  United  States. 


120 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   BLACK    HAWK    WAR 

From  the  day  when  Joliet  and  Marquette  stood  at  the  out- 
skirts of  the  Indian  village  shouting  for  the  inhabitants 
to  come  out  and  tell  who  they  were,  until  1832,  this  Illinois 
country  had  been  the  home  of  the  red  men.  Long  before 
that,  they  had  roamed  at  will  over  these  vast  prairies,  chas- 
ing the  buffalo  and  the  deer,  setting  their  traps  in  the 
forests,  catching  fish  from  the  streams,  and  gathering  their 
harvests  of  corn  and  beans  from  the  fertile  hillsides.  A 
hundred  and  fifty  years  had  come  and  gone,  bringing  mar- 
velous changes  in  their  wake.  The  curling  smoke  from 
Indian  wigwams  along  the  Wabash,  the  Ohio,  the  Embar- 
rass, the  Illinois,  had  grown  fainter  and  fainter,  until  it 
had  entirely  disappeared.  Westward  the  white  army  of 
invasion  had  pushed  its  way  until  the  Indian  had  been  thrust 
beyond  the  great  Father  of  Waters.  In  his  slow  but  sullen 
retreat  he  had  learned  of  the  customs  and  vices  of  the  men 
who  came  with  the  woodman's  ax,  the  shovel  and  the  plow. 
He  made  better  wigwams  and  huts;  he  planted  more  and 
hunted  less;  he  wore  more  clothes  but  drank  more  whisky 
and  used  more  powder  and  ball.  He  had  suffered  much 
from  slaughter,  from  burnings  and  devastations,  from  out- 
rages in  cold  blood  and  in  anger,  from  treachery  and  deceit. 
The  white  man  had  been  his  evil  angel,  and,  like  some 
Nemesis,  still  pursued  him,  crying  for  blood  and  land. 

121 


The  red  man  had  repaid  the  debt  of  ingratitude,  treachery 
and  blood  with  interest.  For  every  wigwam  left  tenantless, 
five  scalps  of  white  men  had  been  nailed  to  the  tent  poles 
of  the  savages.  For  every  village  of  huts  burned  or  field  of 
beans  destroyed,  a  white  man's  house  had  gone  up  in  flames 
and  his  children  had  gone  fatherless  to  bed.  It  was  a  long, 
bloody  tragedy,  and  the  time  has  come  when  we  shall  lift 
the  curtain  for  the  last  act  so  far  as  Illinois  is  concerned. 

Our  state  has  had  an  honorable  career.  She  can  point  to 
a  proud  record  and  a  long  list  of  worthy  men  and  women 
whom  neither  hunger  nor  cold,  flood  nor  drouth,  suffering 
nor  death,  could  quail  or  turn  aside  from  the  one  great 
work  of  mapping  out  an  inheritance  for  their  successors 
in  this  beautiful  valley  of  the  great  river.  But  in  recounting 
all  the  deeds  of  daring  and  danger,  in  unrolling  the  tablets 
of  honor  and  greatness,  let  none  point  to  the  story  of  the 
Black  Hawk  War. 

Black  Hawk  was  an  Indian  leader.  He  was  not  a  ruling 
chief  according  to  Indian  custom,  but  was  a  head  man  in 
time  of  war.  He  had  many  of  the  characteristics  of  leader- 
ship and  some  of  the  marks  of  great  generalship.  He  was 
crafty,  daring,  independent  and  brave.  Above  all,  he  was 
proud,  and  gloried  in  the  savagery  of  his  race,  hating  the 
white  man  and  all  his  customs  and  civilization.  He  belonged 
to  the  tribe  of  Sacs.  This  tribe  had  originally  lived  in 
the  region  of  Lake  Ontario,  but  had  been  crowded  westward 
and  still  farther  west  until  they  located  on  the  Rock  river,  in 
Illinois,  near  its  juncture  with  the  Mississippi.  At  some 
time  in  the  history  of  the  tribe  it  had  come  in  contact  with 
the  tribe  of  Fox  Indians,  and,  both  belonging  to  north- 
eastern tribes  and  both  being  pressed  by  the  enemy  and 
in  enforced  retreat,  they  coalesced,  forming  a  confederated 
tribe  known  as  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  At  the  time  we  come 
to  know  them  in  this  story,  Keokuk  was  the  rightful  chief 
of  the  tribe. 

Sometime   soon  after  Tonti  had  left  the  Rock,  these 

122 


Indians  had  come  into  possession  of  the  country  around  the 
mouth  of  the  Rock  river,  and  even  claimed  the  country 
as  far  west  as  the  middle  of  the  present  state  of  Iowa. 
Their  chief  village  and  headquarters  was  near  Rock  Island 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rock  river.  Here  they  had  lived  for 
years,  and  here  they  had  erected  a  good  class  of  houses  to 
the  number  of  five  hundred,  capable  of  sheltering  several 
thousand  people.  Around  this  village  they  had  cleared 
some  seven  hundred  acres  of  ground,  and  upon  it  they 
cultivated  their  yearly  crops  of  corn  and  beans.  One  of  the 
most  attractive  spots  today  along  this  most  beautiful  river 
in  Illinois  is  the  height  of  land  known  as  Black  Hawk's 
watch-tower.  A  summer  hotel  has  been  placed  on  this 
eminence,  and  here  the  resorter  can  stand  on  the  white  man's 
porch  and  look  up  and  down  the  river,  with  all  its  broad  and 
shimmering  valley  as  it  reaches  away  for  miles  through 
distant  fields  and  meadows,  and  reflect  that  here  the  Indian 
stood,  looking  out  over  the  same  natural  scenery,  seeing  the 
fires  and  homesteads  of  the  hated  enemies  of  his  race 
growing  ever  nearer  and  nearer.  Here  he  could  stand  and 
watch  his  squaws  planting  their  seed  or  gathering  their 
harvests,  see  his  young  men  practicing  games  of  the  chase 
or  of  war,  or  bathing  in  the  silver  stream  that  flowed  at  his 
feet;  see  on  the  adjacent  hillside  the  silent  graves  of  his 
fathers  where  for  generations  they  had  been  laid  to  rest. 
No  generous  soul  can  stand  on  this  spot  and  recall  the  story 
of  Black  Hawk  without  a  tinge  of  shame  creeping  over  his 
face  as  he  looks  and  remembers.  It  was  here,  probably, 
that  Black  Hawk  was  born  in  1767,  and  here  he  grew  to 
manhood.  He  was  born  after  the  French  and  Indian  War, 
under  the  regime  of  the  British,  and  to  them  he  was  always 
loyal,  and  perhaps  from  them  he  received  the  fatal  sugges- 
tions that  lead  to  his  downfall. 

After  the  Revolutionary  War  our  government  was  very 
active  in  making  treaties  with  the  Indian  tribes  in  the  process 
of  getting  peaceable  possession  of  their  lands,  that  they 

123 


might  be  sold  to  settlers.  In  this  way  most  of  the  lands  in 
Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois  had  been  turned  over  to  the 
whites,  and  the  Indians  had  moved  on  to  the  westward.  The 
wave  of  immigration  and  settlement  had  passed  the  Illinois 
river,  and  there  was  a  demand  for  more  of  the  Indian  lands. 

In  1804,  William  Henry  Harrison  was  governor  of 
Indiana  territory,  of  which  Illinois  was  at  that  time  a  part. 
He  convened  the  Indian  chiefs  at  St.  Louis,  five  chiefs  repre- 
senting the  Fox  and  Sacs  and  the  Winnebagoes,  it  is  said, 
and  there  entered  into  a  treaty  with  them  by  which  they 
agreed  to  cede  to  the  United  States  all  the  lands  between  the 
Illinois  river  and  the  Mississippi,  and  also  a  large  body  of 
land  lying  in  Wisconsin.  In  all,  this  treaty  covered  about 
fifteen  million  acres  of  land,  a  princely  kingdom,  and  for 
it  the  United  States  was  to  take  these  tribes  into  its  friend- 
ship and  to  make  to  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  an  annual  payment 
of  one  thousand  dollars  in  goods.  It  can  be  seen  that 
Governor  Harrison  valued  friendship  pretty  high.  Black 
Hawk  took  no  part  in  this  transaction,  and  he  declared  that 
the  chiefs  were  made  drunk  and  persuaded  to  sign  the 
treaty.  This  treaty  provided  that  the  tribes  might  retain 
possession  of  the  lands  until  they  were  actually  sold,  and 
that  in  the  meantime  no  citizens  of  the  United  States  were 
to  be  allowed  to  make  settlements  upon  the  lands. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  181 2,  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  offered  their  services  to  the  United  States,  but  were 
refused,  and  they  then  gave  their  aid  to  the  British.  At 
the  close  of  the  war  a  new  treaty  was  made  with  the  Indians, 
but  Black  Hawk  did  not  sign  this  treaty  either.  In  1827 
the  Winnebagoes  made  an  outbreak  upon  the  settlers  and 
were  put  down  by  military  force,  and  several  of  the  leaders 
were  executed.  Black  Hawk  was  believed  to  have  been  in 
part  responsible  for  this  outbreak,  and  was  kept  a  prisoner 
for  some  time,  but  was  finally  released.  Some  three  years 
later  than  this,  in  1830,  another  treaty  was  made  with  the 
Indians  at  Prairie  du  Chien.     The  Sacs  and  Foxes  were 

124 


represented  at  this  gathering  by  Keokuk,  their  chief.  He 
signed  the  treaty  for  his  tribe.  In  this  treaty  Black  Hawk 
again  took  no  part.  This  treaty  ceded  all  the  lands  east  of 
the  Mississippi  to  the  United  States,  and  Keokuk  agreed 
to  remove  his  people  to  the  west  side  of  the  river.  This  he 
succeeded  in  doing  except  so  far  as  Black  Hawk's  following 
was  concerned. 

In  the  spring  of  1831,  when  Black  Hawk  and  his  band  of 
men  and  women,  after  a  winter  of  hunting,  returned  to  their 
village  on  the  Rock  river,  they  found  it  occupied  by  the 
whites,  and  it  was  said  that  the  very  ground  on  which  stood 
the  Hawk's  cabin  had  been  bought  by  a  fur-trader.  War 
seemed  certain,  but  by  some  diplomacy  upon  the  part  of  a 
few  white  men  an  agreement  was  reached  by  which  both 
whites  and  Indians  were  to  remain  in  the  village  and  the 
lands  were  to  be  divided  between  them  for  cultivation.  Of 
course  trouble  broke  out.  The  whites  complained  of  abuses 
by  the  Indians,  and  the  Indians  made  counter  claims  of 
destroyed  crops,  burned  cabins  and  indignities  offered  to 
Indian  men  and  women.  It  is  very  probable  that  the  Indians 
were  the  greater  sufferers,  but,  be  that  as  it  may,  a  call  was 
sent  to  the  governor  asking  for  state  aid  to  repel  the  Indians, 
who  were  represented  as  being  upon  the  verge  of  a  general 
outbreak.  Governor  Reynolds  at  once  responded  by  calling 
out  the  militia  and  also  sending  word  to  General  Gaines,  in 
charge  of  the  United  States  garrison,  asking  for  cooperation. 
On  the  seventh  of  June  a  conference  was  held  at  Fort 
Armstrong,  on  Rock  island,  between  Governor  Reynolds 
and  General  Gaines  on  the  part  of  the  whites,  and  some 
twenty  or  more  Indians,  including  Keokuk  and  Black  Hawk. 

An  agreement  was  drawn  up  and  signed  by  both  sides. 
In  this  agreement  the  Indians  promised  to  remove  to  the 
west  side  of  the  river  and  to  remain  there  and  to  keep  in 
control  the  unruly  members  of  their  tribe.  Rations  were 
distributed  among  the  Indians,  who  were  in  an  almost  starv- 
ing condition,  then  they  all  withdrew  to  the  west  side  of  the 

125 


river,  and  the  war  scare  was  over.     The  militia  was  dis- 
banded and  with  the  governor  returned  to  their  homes. 

Black  Hawk  had  gone  to  the  west  side  of  the  river  with 
his  people,  but  he  was  discontented  and  went  with  the  feel- 
ings of  a  man  who  is  acting  under  compulsion,  suffering 
from  a  wrong.  In  April  of  the  following  year  (1832), 
gathering  his  people  about  him  to  the  number  of  several 
hundred,  he  recrossed  the  river.  He  passed  by  the  village 
which  had  been  his  home  for  so  many  years,  and  proceeded 
on  up  the  Rock  river.  General  Atkinson,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Armstrong,  sent  word 
to  him  that  he  was  violating  his  treaty  and  ordered  him 
to  return.  The  Hawk  replied  that  he  was  on  his  way  to 
the  home  of  the  Winnebagoes,  who  had  invited  him  to  come 
among  them  to  raise  a  crop. 

Doubtless,  Black  Hawk  knew  that  he  was  breaking  his 
treaty  obligations  by  crossing  the  river.  Doubtless  he  also 
reasoned  that  so  long  as  he  refrained  from  committing  any 
outrages  or  in  any  way  disturbing  the  whites,  he  would 
be  permitted  to  go  his  way  undisturbed.  When  he  reached 
a  town  of  the  Winnebagoes,  about  forty  miles  up  the  Rock 
river,  he  became  convinced  that  this  tribe  did  not  intend 
to  give  him  any  aid,  but  would  simply  use  him  and  his 
people  for  their  own  advantage  in  dealing  with  the  whites. 
He  decided  to  return  to  his  quarters  beyond  the  Mississippi, 
when,  to  his  surprise,  he  learned  that  the  whites  had  called 
out  their  army,  declared  war  against  him,  and  were  on  his 
track.  Angered  and  desperate,  he  decided  to  continue  on 
his  way  up  the  river.  He  proceeded  to  the  neighborhood  of 
Dixon  and  here  made  a  temporary  halt. 

When  Black  Hawk  crossed  the  Mississippi,  the  whole 
border  region  sent  forth  the  cry  of  alarm.  The  savages  were 
loose  and  on  the  warpath.  The  governor  of  the  state  was 
appealed  to  for  immediate  assistance,  and  he  promptly  re- 
plied. Early  in  May,  about  two  thousand  militiamen  from 
the  state  and  about  five  hundred  regulars  under  General 

126 


Atkinson  were  assembled  at  Fort  Armstrong,  ready  for  an 
advance  movement.  Black  Hawk  had  followed  the  Rock 
river,  and  up  this  stream,  Governor  Reynolds  with  his  two 
thousand  militiamen  on  land,  and  General  Atkinson  with 
his  five  hundred  regulars  and  the  provisions,  by  boat,  started 
out  on  the  ninth  of  May.  Those  of  us  who  have  lived  in  this 
region  about  the  first  of  May  can  imagine  the  time  this 
force  of  raw  recruits  had  plowing  through  the  mud  and 
enduring  the  endless  rains  that  are  sure  accompaniments  of 
this  season.  Black  Hawk  kept  in  advance.  The  army 
reached  Dixon's  ford  in  about  three  days,  and  here  they 
learned  that  Black  Hawk's  band  had  separated  in  order  to 
hunt  for  food.  At  this  place  the  army  was  increased  by  some 
three  or  four  hundred  men  under  Major  Stillman  and  Major 
Bailey,  who  had  recruited  these  men  along  the  frontier  to 
help  put  down  the  Indians.  These  two  undisciplined  and 
rude  companies  of  frontiersmen  insisted  upon  being  allowed 
to  scout  the  country  in  the  effort  to  find  the  Hawk  and 
bring  him  to  a  stand.  This  they  were  given  permission 
to  do,  so  on  the  thirteenth  of  May  they  started  out  from 
Dixon  and  marched  to  the  northeast  nearly  thirty  miles, 
reaching  a  small  stream  on  the  evening  of  the  fourteenth, 
and  here  they  decided  to  camp,  not  suspecting  any  Indians 
in  the  neighborhood.  Scarcely  were  they  dismounted  when 
their  attention  was  called  to  three  Indians  bearing  a  white 
flag.  It  is  said,  and  let  us  hope  it  is  true,  that  many  of 
Stillman's  men  had  been  drinking  and  were  too  drunken 
to  know  what  they  were  doing.  Be  that  as  it  may,  a  shout 
went  up,  and,  mounting  in  hot  haste,  the  savages  were 
charged  and  driven  with  lashings  and  beatings  into  the 
camp.  Soon  five  more  Indians  were  seen  upon  a  hill,  and 
chase  was  again  given  and  two  of  these  were  killed,  while 
the  other  three  escaped  to  Black  Hawk's  camp,  two  or  three 
miles  away,  where  they  reported  to  their  chief  that  they  alone 
of  all  his  truce  party  were  left  alive. 

What  had  happened  was  this:    When  Black  Hawk  ob- 

127 


served  the  advance  of  the  white  men  he  supposed  that  they 
were  being  led  by  General  Atkinson,  with  whom  he  was  well 
acquainted.  He  decided  to  ask  for  a  parley.  So  he  sent 
two  of  his  men  forward  with  a  flag  of  truce,  and  in  order 
to  know  just  what  might  befall  them  he  had  sent  five  braves 
to  watch  them  from  a  distance.  It  was  these  truce  parties 
that  Stillman's  drunken  soldiers  had  seen  and  chased,  shoot- 
ing them  to  death.  When  Black  Hawk  learned  how  his 
overtures  for  a  parley  had  been  received,  he  was  filled  with 
indignation  and  wrath.  Gathering  his  few  braves  about 
him,  mounted  on  ponies,  he  set  out  to  meet  the  enemy.  As 
they  reached  the  open  fields  they  beheld  Stillman's  men, 
three  hundred  strong,  rushing  toward  them.  They  retired 
behind  a  fringe  of  trees  and  waited  the  coming  of  their 
white  foe.  As  the  militia  approached,  beholding  the  Indians, 
they  came  to  a  sudden  stand.  But  Black  Hawk,  uttering 
the  war-whoop,  dashed  out  upon  them  with  his  little  com- 
pany numbering  not  more  than  fifty.  Without  firing  a  shot, 
the  frontiersmen  wheeled  their  horses  and  dashed  away, 
with  the  Indians  in  full  pursuit.  At  dark  the  Indians  called 
a  halt,  but  all  night  long  the  frightened  militia  kept  on 
through  swamps  and  creeks  until  they  dashed  into  Dixon, 
twenty-five  miles  away,  and  spread  the  report  that  the  whole 
Indian  force,  thousands  strong,  were  sweeping  the  country 
behind  them.  Many  of  them  did  not  stop  even  here,  but 
hurried  on,  not  dismounting  until  they  reached  their  homes 
and  were  safe  in  the  arms  of  their  families.  The  whites 
had  eleven  men  killed  in  this  encounter.  The  next  day  the 
entire  army  of  twenty-five  hundred  men  marched  to  the 
scene  of  the  conflict,  where  they  found  and  buried  the  eleven 
men  lost  in  Stillman's  rout. 

The  defeat  of  Stillman's  party  completely  demoralized  the 
militia  force.  The  men  demanded  that  they  be  discharged 
and  permitted  to  go  home.  The  governor  at  once  called  for 
a  new  levy  of  two  thousand  volunteers,  and,  marching  the 
demoralized    militia    to    Ottawa,    he    discharged    them. 

128 


General  Atkinson  with  the  regulars  went  to  Dixon  to  await 
the  coming  together  of  the  new  recruits. 

The  effect  of  Stillman's  blunder  was  to  expose  the  entire 
Illinois  frontier  to  the  merciless  warfare  of  the  savage. 
Black  Hawk  felt  that  he  had  been  mistreated  in  his  attempt 
to  conduct  an  honorable  armistice  and  arrange  for  terms 
of  return  to  the  west  side  of  the  river.  His  band  and  all 
they  could  incite  to  take  part  with  them  were  turned  loose 
to  burn  and  plunder  wherever  they  could  find  a  white  man 
or  a  white  man's  settlement.  So  the  border  line,  from 
Galena  by  the  way  of  Princeton,  Peru  and  Ottawa,  with 
their  outlying  settlements,  was  made  the  scene  of  carnage 
and  bloodshed.  A  number  of  settlers  were  killed  in  open 
conflict  or  from  ambush,  and  several  skirmishes  occurred 
between  forces  of  the  white  men  and  the  Indians;  but 
about  the  twenty-second  of  June,  Black  Hawk,  after  a 
defeat  at  Kellogg's  grove,  retreated  toward  the  north.  He 
was  followed  by  General  Atkinson  with  the  whole  American 
force,  amounting  to  about  four  thousand  men.  Black  Hawk 
took  refuge  among  the  hills  of  Wisconsin,  and  the  discour- 
aged white  troops  were  divided  into  several  groups  and 
placed  where  they  might  protect  the  frontier.  One  detach- 
ment of  these  troops  under  General  Henry  learned  that 
Black  Hawk  was  stationed  on  the  Rock  river  toward  the 
north.  They  immediately  started  in  pursuit  with  about 
one  thousand  men.  Black  Hawk  retreated  to  the  Wisconsin 
river.  He  passed  by  the  site  of  the  present  Madison  and, 
pushing  on,  was  overtaken  on  the  bluffs  of  the  Wisconsin 
about  twenty-five  miles  beyond.  Here  he  made  a  stand 
and  a  severe  battle  was  fought.  More  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty  Indians  fell  in  this  slaughter,  while  but  one  white 
man  was  lost.  Black  Hawk  crossed  the  river  and  started 
for  the  Mississippi,  hoping  to  reach  it  and  to  cross  before 
his  enemy  could  overtake  him.  The  Indian  band  was 
reduced  to  the  verge  of  starvation.  They  peeled  the  bark 
from  the  trees   for   food  as  they  went.     Many  of  their 

129 


^7/***ki* 


LA  KE 
MICHIGAN 


t&ock  Island 


,/)C*     Black  H»wk-»       I  J      /*.^../\y 

{  MA$SMAIL~|       IT 


r 


^T      oVu,k/  /f« 


Jtckiipvllte       ji 


( 'The  black  line  Indicates  the 
route  Lincoln  U  supposed  to 
have  followed  with  the  army 
as  far  as  Whitewater,  where 
he  was  dismissed.    When  the 
army  started  from  near  Otta- 
■wa,  after  the  aoth  of  June,  to 
follow  the  Indians  up  Rock 
River,  Lincoln's  battalion  was 
•sent  towards  the  northwest,  and  joined  the  main 
army  near  Lake  Koshkonong  early  in  July. 
Soon  after  he  went  to  Whitewater, where,  about 
the  middle  of  the  month,  his  battalion  was  dis- 
banded, and  he  returned  by  foot  and  canoe  to 
New  Salem.    The  dotted  line  shows  the  route 
be  is  supposed  to  have  taken.  The  towns  named 
on  the  map  are  those  with  which  Lincoln  was 
connected  cither  in  his  legal  or  his  political  b  t  c 


^ 


N 


fl 


MAP  OP 

ILLINOIS 

anomuttof 


^^  SHOWING 

UNCOLM-e  8UPPO6E0  UNI  Of* 
MARCH  IN  BLACK  HAWK  WAR 


twiwuui 


130 


wounded  and  starved  fell  out  of  the  ranks  and  died  along 
the  trail.  By  such  signs  they  marked  the  line  of  their 
retreat  from  the  Wisconsin  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi. 
Behind  them  was  the  relentless  army  of  destruction. 

About  the  first  of  August  the  Indian  refugees  reached  the 
bluffs  of  the  Mississippi,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Bad  Axe 
river.  Here  they  could  find  no  boats,  and  only  two  canoes 
could  be  mustered  for  the  whole  band.  Making  a  raft,  it 
was  loaded  with  women,  children  and  old  men,  and  launched 
for  the  opposite  shore,  but  in  midstream  it  was  capsized 
and  most  of  the  occupants  were  drowned.  In  the  midst  of 
these  futile  efforts  to  escape,  the  army  of  General  Henry 
appeared  upon  the  scene  on  August  2.  All  the  forces  of  the 
whites  had  been  reunited  and  were  engaged  in  the  pursuit. 
On  the  day  previous,  as  the  Indians  were  trying  to  cross 
the  river,  a  supply  boat,  the  Warrior,  engaged  to  carry 
supplies  for  the  forces  along  the  river,  appeared,  and  Black 
Hawk  asked  that  a  boat  be  sent  ashore  to  receive  his  people, 
as  he  wished  to  surrender.  But  instead  of  complying,  the 
boat  answered  with  discharges  of  grape  and  canister,  mow- 
ing down  the  savages  as  they  were  huddled  in  groups  on 
the  shore.  The  discharge  was  answered  by  a  fire  of  mus- 
ketry, and  for  a  few  minutes  the  duel  continued,  when  the 
boat  steamed  away,  with  one  man  wounded,  but  leaving 
over  a  score  of  Indians  dead  upon  the  shore. 

Little  need  be  said  of  what  followed  after  the  white  army 
of  pursuit  came  upon  the  disheartened  and  starving  Indians 
upon  the  morning  of  the  second  of  August.  The  massacre 
was  begun  and  carried  forward  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
The  steamboat  Warrior  returned  to  add  its  fire  to  the 
attack  of  the  land  force  and  to  prevent  any  from  swimming 
across  the  river.  In  three  hours  it  was  all  over.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  Indians  were  killed  in  the  fight,  fully  as 
many  were  drowned  in  efforts  to  cross  the  river;  only 
fifty  were  taken  prisoners.  Black  Hawk's  band  was  anni- 
hilated, and  few  were  the  messengers  left  to  carry  the  tale 

131 


to  the  huts  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in  their  new  homes  to 
the  west  of  the  Mississippi.  Black  Hawk  succeeded  in 
escaping  with  a  few  of  his  braves.  He  took  refuge  with 
his  friends,  the  Winnebagoes.  But  he  was  too  dangerous 
a  guest  to  be  kept  in  hiding,  so  the  Winnebagoes  gave  him 
up  to  the  United  States  forces  and  he  was  taken  away  to 
prison.  He  was  taken  to  Fortress  Monroe,  and  then  to 
some  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  East,  to  show  him  how 
hopeless  was  the  red  man's  struggle  against  the  white  in- 
vader; then  he  was  returned  to  Fort  Armstrong,  where  he 
was  turned  over  to  Chief  Keokuk,  who  became  responsible 
for  his  future  good  behavior.  He  was  held  by  the  United 
States  government  to  be  guilty  of  nothing  worthy  of  death, 
as  he  had  conducted  honorable  warfare  in  his  struggle  for 
life. 

Black  Hawk  died  in  Davis  county,  Iowa,  on  the  third  of 
October,  1838,  supposed  to  have  been  seventy-one  years 
of  age. 

Thus  lived,  struggled,  and  perished  one  of  the  best  speci- 
mens of  Indian  manhood  that  had  come  in  contact  with  the 
white  settlements.  He  saw  the  degradation  of  his  race 
and  read  their  certain  doom  in  the  approaching  settlements 
of  the  whites.  His  proud  spirit  rebelled  against  the  fate 
marked  out  for  him  and  his  people.  Outraged  in  his  sense 
of  savage  justice,  he  swore  eternal  hatred  against  the  sup- 
planters  of  his  race,  and  in  his  poor  savage  way  made 
blunders  and  committed  crimes  in  no  sense  worse  or  more 
barbarous  than  were  those  committed  against  him  and  his 
by  the  paleface  foe.  Driven  from  his  home,  in  the  des- 
peration of  hunger  and  humiliation  he  dug  up  the  hatchet, 
and  ended  as  many  another  struggling  for  freedom  has 
ended,  by  digging  the  graves  of  his  people. 


132 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE   MORMONS   IN   ILLINOIS 

About  forty-five  miles  above  Quincy,  and  nine  miles  below 
Fort  Madison,  the  Mississippi  makes  a  bend  or  elbow, 
forming  a  blunt  promontory.  This  promontory  slopes  grad- 
ually upward  from  the  river,  which  bounds  it  on  three  sides, 
thus  forming  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  pleasing  and  advan- 
tageous sites  for  a  town  that  can  well  be  imagined.  A 
gentleman  by  the  name  of  Isaac  Gallard  had  owned  this 
tract  of  land  and  had  made  some  improvements  upon  it  for 
a  country  home.  He  decided  to  establish  a  trading  station 
on  the  river,  and  for  this  purpose  laid  off  town  lots  and 
named  the  place  Commerce.  The  town  did  not  grow 
rapidly,  and  up  to  1840  there  were  not  more  than  about 
twenty  houses. 

In  the  autumn  of  1839  some  strangers  appeared  at  Com- 
merce and  purchased  from  the  owners  the  town  site  and 
the  adjoining  lands.  These  men  were  the  agents  of  the 
Mormon  church,  that  had  recently  come  into  prominence. 

The  founder  of  this  church  organization  was  Joseph 
Smith,  a  native  of  Vermont,  but  from  early  childhood  resi- 
dent with  his  parents  near  Palmyra,  New  York.  It  is  not 
easy  to  sift  the  real  truth  from  the  mass  of  contradictory 
evidence  produced  by  his  detractors  and  his  supporters. 
But,  apparently,  Joseph's  parents  were  poor,  ignorant, 
superstitious  and  indolent.    The  morals  of  the  family  were 

133 


not  reputed  to  be  of  the  best.  Joseph  received  little  school- 
ing, but,  in  spite  of  all  the  claims  by  friend  and  foe,  of 
his  utter  ignorance,  we  are  satisfied  from  the  work  he  did 
that  he  had  a  mind  that  was  keen,  shrewd  and  imaginative. 
He  was  bold,  fearless  and  shameless  throughout  his  whole 
career. 

About  1827,  Joseph  claimed  to  have  found  in  a  hill  near 
Palmyra  a  set  of  golden  plates  upon  which  was  written  a 
history  of  an  extinct  people  and  a  divine  revelation.  The 
writing  was  claimed  to  be  in  a  late  Egyptian  character,  and 
two  stones  were  found  with  the  plates,  by  looking  through 
which  Joseph  was  enabled  to  read  and  translate  the  writing. 
The  Lord  had  told  him  where  to  dig  for  the  plates  and  how 
to  use  them.  With  a  few  associates,  who  claimed  to  have 
seen  the  plates,  he  proceeded  to  translate  the  inscriptions 
and  to  publish  the  same  as  the  Book  of  Mormon.  The 
translation  was  completed  by  the  year  1830,  and  in  April 
of  that  year  he  seems  to  have  gathered  about  him  all  whom 
he  had  up  to  that  time  induced  to  join  him,  and  organized 
them  into  a  church.  The  Book  of  Mormon  was  supple- 
mented from  time  to  time  by  direct  revelation  to  the 
Prophet  Joseph,  as  he  had  need,  concerning  the  most  trivial 
as  well  as  the  most  important  affairs. 

It  is  marvelous  that  in  this  age  and  in  such  a  community 
a  doctrine  based  upon  credulity  and  lust  could  find  a  soil 
for  growth  and  that  it  could  so  extend  its  influence  that 
within  twenty  years  it  could  claim  six  hundred  thousand 
deluded  followers,  gathered  from  all  parts  of  Europe  and 
America. 

Joseph  Smith  moved  to  Kirtland,  near  Cleveland,  Ohio. 
From  this  place  they  sent  out  missionaries  to  preach  their 
gospel  and  make  new  converts  and  form  new  settlements. 
Joseph  received  a  revelation  that  their  Zion  with  its  temple 
was  to  be  in  Missouri,  and  thither  a  number  of  them  went, 
buying  up  a  tract  of  land  in  Jackson  county  and  selecting  a 
temple  site  at  what  is   now  called  Independence.      The 

134 


stranger  there  is  still  shown  the  "temple  site"  upon  which 
many  Mormons  believe  their  final  temple  is  to  be  builded 
when  the  triumphant  saints  shall  be  gathered  to  the  Zion 
foretold  by  their  Prophet  Joseph. 

Joseph,  with  his  brother  Hyrum,  the  patriarch  and  high- 
priest  of  the  church,  were  forced  to  leave  Kirtland  wear- 
ing a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers,  because  of  business  and 
social  irregularities,  and  they  joined  the  hosts  gathered  in 
Missouri.  But  their  vrays  were  not  the  ways  of  the  land, 
and  war,  open  and  merciless,  was  waged  by  the  people  of 
Jackson  and  Clay  counties  against  the  newcomers.  With 
mob  violence,  clash  of  arms,  destruction  of  property,  and 
shedding  of  blood,  the  contest  was  carried  on  until  at  last 
the  Mormons  were  forced  to  sell  out  their  possessions  for 
what  they  could  get  and  leave  the  state. 

It  was  to  provide  for  this  migration  that  the  advance 
agents  of  the  church,  looking  for  a  location,  had  selected 
and  bought  the  site  at  Commerce  in  the  autumn  of  1839. 
The  name  was  changed  to  Nauvoo,  meaning  the  blessed, 
and  early  in  the  spring  of  1840,  large  delegations  of  Mor- 
mons began  to  arrive.  Within  four  years  the  population 
of  the  town  grew  to  over  fifteen  thousand  souls. 

When  the  "saints"  (the  name  they  chose  for  themselves) 
reached  Nauvoo,  their  leader,  Joseph  Smith,  and  his  brother 
were  prisoners  in  Missouri.  By  some  means  they  managed 
to  elude  their  guards  and,  escaping  from  the  state,  reached 
their  haven  at  Nauvoo.  Here  every  device  known  to  craft 
and  diplomacy  was  used  to  secure  the  Mormon  population 
absolute  freedom  from  arrest  or  gentile  interference.  The 
democrats  and  whigs  were  at  that  time  struggling  for 
political  control  of  the  state,  and  both  desired  the  Mormon 
vote.  It  was  easy,  therefore,  for  the  city  of  Nauvoo  to 
obtain  almost  anything  desired  in  the  way  of  special  legis- 
lation. The  session  of  the  legislature  of  1840-41  granted 
a  sweeping  charter  which  in  some  particulars  placed  the 
authority  of  the  city  government  above  that  of  the  state 

135 


legislature.  It  provided  for  the  organization  of  the  Nauvoo 
legion  to  act  as  a  part  of  the  state  militia,  with  arms  fur- 
nished by  the  state,  and  granted  a  charter  for  a  university. 

Out  of  these  plenary  powers  grew  the  difficulties  that 
lead  to  the  expulsion  of  the  Mormons  from  the  state, 
although*  it  must  needs  have  been  that  under  any  provisions 
whatever  difficulties  could  not  be  avoided.  The  clannish 
spirit  and  theocratic  organization  of  the  saints  made  it  im- 
possible for  them  to  live  peaceably  with  their  neighbors  at 
any  time  or  in  any  place. 

In  1844  came  the  beginning  of  the  end  of  Mormon  prac- 
tice and  prosperity  in  Illinois.  Nauvoo  at  that  time  was  a 
thriving  city.  Every  known  industry  was  being  carried 
on  and  never  was  a  people  more  industrious.  New  acces- 
sions of  numbers  with  a  considerable  sprinkling  of  wealth 
was  constantly  arriving  from  Europe  and  the  eastern  states. 
The  well  organized  missionary  enterprises  of  the  church 
gave  abundant  evidence  of  the  wisdom  with  which  they 
had  been  planned  by  the  prophet.  But,  like  Babylon  of  old, 
in  the  height  of  its  glory  and  promise,  this  new  made  city 
upon  the  hills  overlooking  the  great  river,  was  doomed  to 
desolation  and  its  inhabitants  destined  to  drink  to  the  very 
dregs  the  cup  of  want  and  suffering. 

The  officials  of  Missouri  made  several  efforts  to  get  pos- 
session of  the  fugitives  who  had  fled  from  justice  in  that 
state.  But  Joseph,  the  prophet,  sometimes  by  force,  some- 
times by  fraud  and  sometimes  by  the  interference  of  the 
courts  evaded  extradition  to  the  soil  of  Missouri.  The 
Nauvoo  legion,  consisting  of  four  thousand  well  drilled  and 
equipped  soldiers,  all  of  the  Mormon  faith  and  pledged  to 
do  the  will  of  the  prophet,  excited  the  fear  and  distrust  of 
the  surrounding  people.  Many  robberies  and  murders  had 
been  committed  on  both  sides  of  the  river  and  incriminating 
evidence  pointed  towards  Nauvoo.  Retaliation  was  prac- 
ticed upon  the  Mormons  living  in  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try.   Several  thousands  of  them  lived  outside  the  limits  of 

136 


Nauvoo.  About  1842  the  revelation  concerning  polygamy 
seems  to  have  made  its  appearance  among  the  leaders,  and 
a  knowledge  of  its  practice  was  gradually  rumored  about 
the  country.  Stories  of  dreadful  immorality  excited  the 
gentile  population  and  caused  a  disaffection  in  the  ranks  of 
the  saints.  Everything  was  ready  for  an  explosion  and 
only  waited  for  an  occasion.  What  was  intended  as  a 
means  for  removing  the  tension  proved  to  be  the  spark 
leading  to  the  powder  magazine. 

Governor  Ford  decided  to  visit  Hancock  county  in  person 
to  investigate  the  complaints  and  endeavor  to  pour  oil  upon 
the  troubled  waters.  Whether  wisely  or  not,  some  of  the 
militia  of  the  adjoining  counties  was  called  out  to  guar- 
antee peace  and  quiet.  The  prophet  Joseph,  hearing  of 
this,  at  once  declared  Nauvoo  under  martial  law  and  called 
out  the  Nauvoo  legion  of  four  thousand  militiamen.  War 
was  in  the  air  and  passion  was  stirred  to  its  tensest  point 
on  both  sides.  But  the  leaders  seemed  to  realize  the  serious- 
ness of  the  crisis  and  used  great  caution.  Smith  finally 
surrendered  the  arms  of  the  state  and  agreed  to  surrender 
himself  and  his  brother  to  the  courts.  In  a  few  days  they 
did  this,  going  unguarded  to  Carthage,  the  county  seat,  and 
giving  themselves  up.  They  were  placed  in  the  Carthage 
jail  to  await  a  hearing.  The  militia,  except  a  few  men 
retained  as  guards,  was  disbanded,  and  the  governor  thought 
the  storm  was  over.  He  assured  the  Mormons  that  they 
were  safe  in  their  persons  and  property,  and  himself  pro- 
ceeded to  Nauvoo  to  investigate  upon  the  ground  some 
of  the  charges  made.  While  the  governor  was  absent  in 
Nauvoo,  upon  the  afternoon  of  June  24,  1844,  a  mob  of 
fifty  men  made  an  attack  upon  the  Carthage  jail,  killed  both 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  Smith,  and  wounded  one  of  the  two 
Mormon  elders  who  were  at  that  time  visiting  with  them  in 
the  jail.  The  excitement  among  the  gentiles  was  intense. 
The  mob  scattered  and  fled.  It  was  expected  that  the 
Mormon  legion  would  at  once  sweep  the  county  in  venge- 

137 


ance.  But  the  Mormons  seemed  stunned  and  made  no  at- 
tempt to  retaliate.  They  proceeded  sadly  to  Carthage  for 
their  dead,  and,  carrying  them  back  to  their  city,  gave  them 
honorable  burial. 

It  could  not  be  otherwise  than  that  a  state  of  war,  bitter 
and  merciless,  should  be  carried  on  from  this  time  forth 
between  the  Mormons  and  their  gentile  neighbors.  Which 
was  most  to  blame  cannot  be  well  determined.  Hundreds 
of  houses  went  up  in  flames  and  many  lives  were  sacrificed 
in  open  warfare  or  more  dreaded  assassination.  The  people 
in  the  surrounding  counties  were  aroused  and  gave  notice 
in  most  positive  terms  that  the  Mormons  must  cross  the 
river  and  leave  the  state.  So  riotous  were  the  disorders 
of  the  following  year  that  the  state  militia  was  called  out 
to  preserve  the  peace,  and  finally  the  Mormons,  seeing  no 
alternative,  agreed  to  leave  the  state  if  given  a  reasonable 
time  in  which  to  dispose  of  their  property  and  make  the 
needed  preparation. 

All  the  winter  of  1845-6,  every  house  in  Nauvoo  was  a 
workshop.  The  temple,  not  yet  complete,  resounded  with 
the  sounds  of  hammers  and  saws.  It  is  said  that  twelve 
thousand  wagons  were  made  during  those  months.  Before 
spring,  Brigham  Young,  who  had  been  chosen  head  of  the 
church  in  place  of  Joseph  Smith,  hearing  that  federal  offi- 
cers were  on  their  trail  for  various  offenses,  decided  to 
hasten  their  departure.  On  the  fifteenth  of  February,  in 
the  dead  of  winter,  the  vanguard  of  that  migrating  city, 
to  the  number  of  two  thousand,  set  out,  crossing  the  Mis- 
sissippi on  the  ice.  About  the  middle  of  May  a  second 
detachment  followed.  Those  who  still  remained  around 
their  desolate  homes,  trying  to  sell  what  little  remained  at 
any  price  that  would  enable  them  to  provide  for  the  journey 
before  them,  were  assaulted,  mobbed  and  goaded  to  des- 
peration by  the  surrounding  gentile  population. 

The  people  claimed  to  fear  that  the  remnant  of  the  Mor- 
mons did  not  intend  to  leave  the  place.    This  remnant  was 

138 


forced  to  gather  together  in  haste  what  they  could  and  flee 
for  their  lives  to  the  Iowa  side  of  the  river. 

The  pioneers  of  the  vanguard  reached  Salt  Lake  in  July, 
1847,  a  vear  and  a  half  after  starting.  The  other  detach- 
ments were  scattered  from  the  deserts  of  Utah  to  the  Mis- 
sissippi river, — a  struggling,  suffering  mass,  enduring  heat 
and  cold,  thirst  and  hunger,  disease  and  nakedness,  death, 
in  all  its  terrible  forms,  marking  their  road  across  the  west- 
ern wilderness  and  mountains  with  the  graves  of  their  loved 
ones,  in  obedience  to  a  faith  the  most  degrading  and  servile 
in  the  history  of  this  country.  Perhaps  never  since  the  dark 
ages  has  there  been  such  a  remarkable  migration  of  a  nation 
in  the  face  of  difficulties  as  this  movement  of  the  Mormons 
to  Salt  Lake.  It  is  a  fascinating  episode  in  the  history  of 
political  and  social  institutions  as  well  as  in  the  history  of 
religions,  but,  having  seen  the  Mormons  across  the  river, 
free  from  the  state  of  Illinois,  we  must  refer  you  to  other 
sources  for  a  study  of  their  peculiar  institutions  and  the 
sacrifices  they  were  called  upon  to  make  for  them. 


139 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE  ILLINOIS  AND  MICHIGAN  CANAL 

The  one  great  problem  which  an  advancing  civilization 
must  meet  and  solve  is  that  of  transportation.  Without 
readiness  of  communication  there  can  be  little  growth  or 
development.  The  fringe  of  frontier  settlements  will  remain 
stationary  for  years  unless  means  of  passing  to  and  fro 
can  be  provided  for  those  who  live  upon  the  outskirts  or 
who  wish  to  pass  from  the  more  thickly  settled  regions 
toward  the  frontier.  We  read  that  when  Washington  was 
inaugurated  the  means  of  transportation  were  so  poor  that 
the  members  of  Congress  could  not  reach  New  York  in  time 
for  the  ceremony  on  the  fourth  of  March  and  it  had  to  be 
postponed  until  the  thirtieth  of  April.  The  roads  were 
swampy  and  for  hundreds  of  miles  the  statesmen  had  to 
ride  through  forests  and  across  mountains,  swimming  rivers 
and  threading  ravines  for  weeks  in  order  to  reach  the  seat 
of  government.  If  the  country  was  to  develop  it  must  be 
provided  with  better  means  of  communication.  The  histo- 
rian accounts  for  the  great  advance  of  the  Greek  people 
over  other  peoples  of  their  times  by  pointing  to  their  in- 
dented shores  and  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that  no  Greek 
lived  more  than  forty  miles  from  the  sea.  They  became 
a  commercial  people,  going  and  coming  between  all  the 
ports  of  the  Mediterranean.    Communication  was  easy  and 

140 


Greek  thought  was  accelerated  and  brightened  by  this  con- 
stant activity  between  distant  parts. 

About  the  time  this  country  began  to  feel  the  need  of 
some  better  means  of  communication,  an  English  company 
had  devised  the  scheme  of  building  canals,  and  one  was 
opened  in  England  about  1760.  Our  fathers  proposed  to 
adopt  this  scheme,  especially  as  they  figured  out  that  a  horse 
could  draw  upon  a  canal  about  thirty  times  as  much  as  it 
could  draw  in  a  wagon  upon  a  good  road.  Their  ideas  still 
clung  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  and  in  those  days  the  domi- 
nating idea  was  one  of  fear  of  war  and  foreign  invasion. 
So  it  came  about  that  the  first  thoughts  of  canal-building 
were  confined  to  the  making  of  a  line  of  coast  canals  not 
far  from  the  Atlantic,  so  that  trade  might  be  carried  on  in 
case  of  a  blockade  or  the  coast  might  be  defended  by  boats 
protected  from  the  exposure  and  dangers  of  the  ocean. 
This  canal  system  was  to  reach  from  Boston  Bay  to  Buz- 
zard's Bay,  then  by  way  of  the  Long  Island  Sound  to  New 
York,  then  on  by  way  of  the  inland  rivers  and  bays  to  the 
Carolinas.  The  first  and  only  part  of  this  scheme  ever 
really  completed  was  the  Dismal  Swamp  section  in  Virginia, 
which  was  opened  in  1794. 

The  possibilities  of  canal  transportation,  however,  were 
demonstrated,  and  the  canal  fever  began  to  rise  in  the  pulse 
of  the  nation.  All  sorts  of  projects,  some  wise  and  many 
unwise,  took  possession  of  the  different  settlements,  all 
struggling  for  trade  and  means  of  communication. 

A  good  passageway  between  the  East  and  the  West  was 
absolutely  necessary  if  the  western  lands  were  to  be  success- 
fully cultivated.  The  Alleghanies  stood  as  an  insurmount- 
able barrier  to  the  canal  projects.  But  it  finally  came  to 
be  realized  that  the  Hudson  river  had  cut  the  northern 
mountain  ridge  in  twain  and  from  the  Atlantic  to  Troy  there 
was  navigation  by  boat.  To  the  west  of  Troy,  stretching 
way  off  to  the  lake,  was  a  vast  reach  of  comparatively  level 
land.     Why  not  join  the  river  and  the  lakes? — then  the 

141 


way  would  be  opened  to  the  very  heart  of  the  great  West. 
It  was  a  big  undertaking,  but  a  great  man  was  in  position 
to  sieze  the  opportunity,  and  he  did  it.  DeWitt  Clinton, 
the  governor  of  New  York,  fathered  the  project,  and  spared 
no  sacrifice  nor  energy  nor  money  until  a  cask  of  water 
had  been  carried  by  boat  from  Lake  Erie  to  the  harbor 
at  New  York  and  there  poured  into  the  ocean,  with  great 
ceremony,  celebrating  the  wedding  of  the  inland  lakes  with 
the  sea.  This  was  a  great  day  for  New  York, — for  all  this 
country, — and  Governor  Clinton  was  the  hero  of  the 
continent. 

This  successful  inauguration  of  canal-building  occurred 
in  1825.  It  gave  a  great  impetus  to  similar  enterprises  all 
over  the  country.  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan  all  took  up 
the  work  and  thousands  of  miles  of  canals  were  built,  adding 
to  the  development  of  these  states.  Of  course  the  demand 
for  canals  soon  reached  Illinois,  then  just  beginning  to  see 
her  great  possibilities  and  to  feel  how  sorely  she  was  tram- 
meled by  lack  of  public  highways.  The  one  great  monu- 
ment to  this  sublime  devotion  to  an  industrial  purpose  still 
standing,  in  doubtful  honor,  is  the  Illinois  and  Michigan 
canal. 

This  canal  was  to  connect  Lake  Michigan  with  the  Mis- 
sissippi river,  beginning  at  Chicago  and  following  the  Des- 
plaines  and  Illinois  rivers  as  far  as  LaSalle,  and  there  con- 
necting with  the  Illinois,  which  was  capable  of  completing 
the  navigable  connection  with  the  Mississippi.  The  canal 
itself  is  ninety-six  miles  long,  six  feet  deep,  and  sixty  feet 
wide  at  the  water  line. 

Before  Illinois  became  a  state,  the  attention  of  Congress 
had  been  called  to  the  desirability  of  building  such  a  canal 
in  order  to  connect  the  Lakes  and  the  Gulf,  but  nothing 
had  been  done.  After  the  admission  to  the  Union,  the 
state  took  the  matter  up  and  years  of  discussion  and  effort 
were  spent  in  trying  to  bring  about  the  consummation  of 
the  scheme.     In  1822,  Congress  granted  a  right  of  way 

142 


for  the  building  of  the  canal,  and  the  state  legislature 
appropriated  money  for  survey  and  charts.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  the  canal  would  cost  about  six  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  a  large  sum  for  those  days.  But  the  young  state 
shouldered  the  responsibility  and  went  at  the  work  with 
western  enthusiasm.  In  1827,  Congress  donated  about  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land  lying  along 
the  route  of  the  canal,  to  aid  in  its  construction. 

Actual  work  upon  the  digging  began  in  1836.  With  this 
beginning  of  canal-building  commenced  also  the  growth 
and  importance  of  Chicago.  The  canal  lands  turned  the 
village  into  a  thriving  real  estate  center.  No  one  can  tell 
the  nervous  energy,  the  disheartening  rebuffs,  the  discour- 
agements, the  sacrifices  of  the  brave  and  heroic  frontiers- 
men from  1823,  when  the  first  board  of  commissioners  was 
appointed,  to  1836,  when  the  work  was  actually  begun. 
Thirteen  years  of  waiting !  And  who  could  adequately  tell 
the  heart-breakings,  the  trials,  the  bitter  disappointments 
that  followed  along  with  the  history  of  that  canal  until 
water  was  finally  turned  into  it  in  1848?  Twelve  years 
more  added  to  the  thirteen, — a  quarter  of  a  century  getting 
ninety-six  miles  of  canal  in  operation!  Instead  of  costing 
six  hundred  thousand  dollars,  as  estimated,  it  cost  over  six 
million  dollars, — ten  times  the  estimate.  But  it  was  a  great 
investment.  It  was  worth  to  the  state  all  it  cost.  It  at  once 
began  returning  princely  revenues  to  the  state  treasury,  as 
well  as  adding  to  the  increase  of  population  by  immigra- 
tion. Up  to  1879  the  canal  had  cost  about  six  and  a  half 
million  dollars  and  had  returned,  for  lands  and  earnings, 
eight  million  nine  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Could  it  have 
been  completed  a  decade  sooner  it  would  have  added  mill- 
ions to  the  wealth  of  the  state  before  the  locomotive  began 
hurrying  across  the  prairies  shrieking  its  "haw,  haw"  at  the 
slow-moving  canal-boat. 

Two  other  canal  projects  should  be  glanced  at  in  this 
connection.     The  Illinois  and  Mississippi  canal,  which  is 

143 


generally  known  in  the  state  as  the  Hennepin  canal,  was 
projected  to  connect  the  upper  Mississippi  and  the  Illinois 
rivers.  As  far  back  as  1871  the  preliminary  surveys  were 
made  for  this  canal,  and  thereafter  it  became  an  important 
element  in  the  politics  of  the  western  part  of  the  state. 
Work  was  begun  upon  the  building  of  the  canal  in  1892,  and 
water  was  turned  into  it  in  1907.  Whether  it  will  ever 
return  an  equivalent  for  the  eight  million  or  more  dollars 
that  have  been  expended  in  its  construction  is  a  question 
for  the  next  few  years  to  answer. 

The  Chicago  drainage  canal  is  the  most  expensive  of 
canal-building  and  engineering  projects  undertaken  in  this 
country.  The  immediate  purpose  of  this  canal  was  not  to 
furnish  transportation  but  to  furnish  an  outlet  for  the 
sewage  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  canal  connects  with 
the  Chicago  river  within  the  city,  and  empties  itself  into 
the  Desplaines  at  or  near  Joliet.  The  total  length  is  about 
forty  miles.  The  work  of  digging  this  canal  was  begun 
in  September,  1892,  and  water  was  turned  into  it  on  the 
second  of  January,  1900.  The  channel  is  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  wide  at  the  bottom — its  width  varies  some- 
what in  different  sections — and  about  twenty-two  feet  in 
depth.  It  is  supposed  to  give  free  passage  to  three  hundred 
thousand  cubic  feet  of  water  per  minute.  The  entire  cost 
of  the  structure  has  been  approximately  forty  million  dol- 
lars. The  funds  for  this  astonishing  enterprise,  the  great- 
est perhaps  in  all  the  world  for  caring  for  the  sewage  of  a 
city,  have  been  supplied  by  taxation  upon  what  is  known  as 
the  Chicago  Sanitary  District,  authorized  by  the  legislature 
and  lying  wholly  within  Cook  county. 


144 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

THE  ADVENT  OF  THE  RAILROADS 

In  1812,  when  war  was  raging  along  the  frontier,  and  later, 
in  1 814,  when  the  awful  massacre  occurred  at  Fort  Dear- 
born, there  was  no  way  to  travel  from  one  point  to  another 
except  by  wagon,  horse,  or  on  foot.  Had  there  been  rail- 
way communication  with  Fort  Wayne  there  had  been  no 
occasion  for  the  bronze  monument  now  standing  at  the  foot 
of  Eighteenth  street.  In  1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  War 
was  on,  General  Winfield  Scott  was  ordered  from  Fortress 
Monroe  on  the  Atlantic  seaboard  to  the  scene  of  action 
with  a  body  of  United  States  regulars.  He  was  eighteen 
days  making  the  journey.  What  with  the  slow  methods 
of  transportation  and  what  with  the  delays  caused  by  the 
outbreak  of  cholera  among  his  troops  he  did  not  reach  the 
seat  of  war  until  hostilities  were  all  over,  so  he  played  no 
part  in  the  conflict.  How  things  have  changed  within  these 
years  covering  scarcely  the  life  of  one  generation !  Should 
an  outbreak  against  law  and  order  occur  now  at  Cairo, 
within  twenty-four  hours  ten  thousand  troopers  could  be 
in  charge  of  that  city,  coming  from  Chicago,  Freeport, 
Rockford,  or  from  the  garrison  at  Fort  Sheridan.  Instead 
of  sending  messengers  on  foot  or  horseback  across  the 
country,  the  tidings  would  be  flashed  in  a  minute  to  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 

The  railroads  brought  a  new  kind  of  life  into  the  world. 

145 


Wherever  they  have  gone,  old  things  have  passed  away 
and  all  things  have  become  new.  It  is  sometimes  doubted 
whether  the  new  is  any  better  than  the  old.  Indeed,  many 
are  inclined  to  believe  that  the  changes  wrought  have  been 
for  the  worse  and  are  able  to  produce  very  strong  argu- 
ments for  their  side  of  the  question ;  but,  be  that  as  it  may, 
we  know  that  the  old  order  has  passed  away;  it  has  gone 
forever,  and  we  must  adapt  ourselves  to  the  ever-changing 
conditions  of  the  present  if  we  would  not  waste  our  lives 
in  useless  fault-findings. 

In  the  very  year  DeWitt  Clinton  opened  the  Erie  canal, 
the  first  railroad  was  operated  in  the  United  States.  And 
curious  to  state,  it  was  used  for  the  purpose  of  removing  the 
dirt  from  the  canal  being  dug  between  the  Delaware  and 
the  Chesapeake.  In  1831  a  road  began  operations  between 
Albany  and  Schenectady  in  New  York.  These  were  little 
more  than  tramways  and  might  be  used  by  horse  power  as 
well  as  by  steam  power.  In  1829  the  first  road  built  for 
steam  only  was  opened  in  South  Carolina  between  Charles- 
ton and  Columbia.  When  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal 
project  was  under  discussion  it  was  proposed  at  one  time  to 
substitute  a  railroad  for  the  canal,  and  the  legislature  gave 
its  permission.  But  it  was  not  done,  and  the  first  railroad 
actually  to  go  into  operation  was  in  1837,  when  a  little  road 
was  built  in  St.  Clair  county  for  the  purpose  of  shipping 
coal  into  St.  Louis.  This  road  used  horse  power  instead 
of  steam. 

From  1832  until  1840  a  wave  of  enthusiasm  for  public 
improvements  swept  over  the  state  of  Illinois.  The  credit 
of  the  state  was  pledged  to  the  building  and  equipping 
of  roads  to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  brought  to  the  verge 
of  bankruptcy.  Into  the  details  of  these  troubles  we  cannot 
enter.  It  was  a  stormy  time,  and  only  by  the  greatest  good 
fortune  did  the  state  escape  financial  ruin. 

As  early  as  1831,  propositions  for  the  building  of  a  north 
and  south  line  of  road  through  the  state  were  discussed. 

146 


A  charter  was  finally  granted,  in  1836,  to  a  company  to 
build  the  road.  It  was  a  great  undertaking  in  those  days. 
There  were  no  rolling-mills  in  this  country  and  all  the  rails 
had  to  be  bought  in  England,  costing  about  fifty  dollars  a 
ton.  The  work  was  new  and  cost  more  in  every  depart- 
ment than  the  estimators  supposed.  Several  companies  that 
undertook  the  work  failed  one  after  the  other.  Even  the 
state  attempted  to  build  the  road,  but  failed,  as  had  the 
others.  So  the  years  from  1836  to  185 1  passed  in  failures 
and  disappointment.  The  United  States  government  gave 
to  the  states  of  Illinois,  Mississippi  and  Alabama  a  large  body 
of  the  public  lands  to  aid  them  in  building  a  railroad  from 
the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf.  The  total  grant  of  land  amounted 
to  about  two  and  a  half  million  acres.  This  grant  gave  a 
new  impetus  to  the  project  of  constructing  the  road,  and  a 
new  company  was  formed.  The  state  legislature  of  185 1 
granted  a  charter  to  the  company.  Under  the  provisions 
of  the  charter  the  state  provided  that  a  certain  part  of  the 
income  of  the  road  (seven  per  cent)  should  go  to  the  state. 
This  provision  is  incorporated  in  the  constitution  of  1870 
and  is  one  source  of  the  income  of  the  state.  Since  1855 
this  railroad  company  has  paid  into  the  treasury  of  the  state 
over  twenty-five  million  dollars. 

In  May,  1853,  the  first  section  of  this  road  was  put  into 
operation.  This  was  a  stretch  of  sixty-one  miles  from 
LaSalle  to  Bloomington.  In  July,  1854,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  miles  of  the  branch  from  Chicago  to  Urbana 
were  completed  and  cars  were  running.  Before  the  close 
of  the  year  1854  trains  were  running  from  Freeport  to 
Galena.  This  road  has  continued  to  grow  and  to  extend 
its  lines  in  every  direction  until  its  mileage  runs  up  into 
the  thousands. 

When  the  charter  for  the  Illinois  Central  was  given  there 
was  not  a  line  of  chartered  road  crossing  its  right  of  way 
any  place  from  north  to  south.  Yet  this  was  not  the  first 
road  to  begin  actual  operations.    The  first  road  in  the  state 


upon  which  an  engine  was  used  as  motive  power  was  the 
Great  Northern  Cross  Railroad,  which  was  chartered  to 
extend  from  Springfield  to  Quincy.  It  was  completed  be- 
tween Jacksonville  and  Meredosia,  a  distance  of  twenty- 
five  miles,  and  in  1842  began  operations  with  a  locomotive 
engine.  It  was  one  of  the  state  roads.  It  was  a  failure. 
After  expending  over  a  million  dollars  upon  it,  the  state 
sold  it  out  at  auction  for  about  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

It  would  be  useless  as  well  as  tiresome  to  try  to  enumer- 
ate the  lines  of  railroads  now  operating  in  the  state.  Let 
it  suffice  to  say  that  there  are  over  twenty  thousand  miles 
of  trackage  in  the  state,  and  this  leads  all  the  states  in  the 
Union  with  the  exception  of  Pennsylvania  and  Texas.  There 
is  scarcely  a  hamlet  in  the  state  through  which  from  two  to 
twenty  trains  a  day  do  not  pass,  carrying  passengers,  freight 
and  mail. 

The  railroad  has  been  the  harbinger  of  a  higher  type  of 
civilization  and  the  distributer  of  the  varied  products  of 
our  great  country,  bringing  the  oranges  of  California  and 
Florida  to  our  Illinois  tables  and  carrying  our  corn,  oats 
and  potatoes  to  the  markets  of  New  York  and  to  the  ship- 
ping points  for  the  Old  World.  We  sometimes  think  that 
the  railroads  are  tyrannical  and  oppressive  and  lawless,  yet 
when  we  compare  what  they  have  done  for  us  with  what 
evils  they  inflict  upon  us,  there  are  none  who  do  not  admit 
that  we  have  received  a  great  balance  of  profit. 


148 


CHAPTER  XIX 

STATE  EDUCATIONAL,  CHARITABLE  AND  PENAL  INSTITUTIONS 

The  enabling  act  of  April,  1818,  under  which  Illinois  be- 
came a  state,  suggested  that  provision  be  made  for  a  system 
of  free  schools  and  for  a  state  university,  and  suggested 
that  certain  lands  be  donated  for  the  establishment  of  a  fund 
for  this  purpose  (Sec.  6).  This  was  the  beginning,  or 
rather  the  foundation,  of  our  present  public  school  system 
with  all  its  accompaniments  of  state  university,  normal 
schools  and  other  educational  institutions. 

Under  the  suggestion  of  this  act  of  Congress,  and  in 
obedience  to  the  growth  of  an  enlightened  sentiment,  schools 
have  been  established  from  time  to  time  to  meet  the  varied 
demands  of  the  population. 

There  are  six  state  educational  institutions  open  to  stu- 
dents of  the  state  free  of  tuition.  These  are  the  State 
University  at  Urbana,  opened  in  1868,  with  Dr.  John  M. 
Gregory  as  its  president;  the  State  Normal  School  at  Nor- 
mal, established  in  1857;  the  Southern  Illinois  Normal,  lo- 
cated at  Carbondale  in  1874;  the  Northern  Illinois  Normal, 
located  at  De  Kalb  in  1895 ;  the  Eastern  Illinois  Normal, 
located  at  Charleston  in  1895,  and  the  Western  Illinois  Nor- 
mal, located  at  Macomb  in  1899.  All  these  institutions  are 
related  to  the  district  and  township  schools  of  the  state. 
The  ideal  system  consists  of  having  the  state  university 
the  head  and  capstone  of  the  entire  system,  so  that  from  the 

149 


kindergarten  room  of  the  most  rustic  district  in  the  state 
to  the  university  graduation  there  may  be  steady  and  regu- 
lar gradation.  It  is  so  provided  that  the  line  of  march 
begun  in  the  country  or  village  or  city  district  school  may 
be  continued  under  the  flag  and  to  the  drum  beat  of  state 
protection  until  all  has  been  done  for  the  youth  of  the  state 
that  can  be  done  to  prepare  them  for  an  honorable  and 
efficient  service  in  the  active  duties  of  life. 

Semi-Educational  Institutions. 

All  children  of  the  state  do  not  come  to  the  schools  strong 
in  body  and  mind.  Some  are  born  defective  in  organs  of 
sense  and  some  defective  in  mental  powers.  Others  there 
are  who  through  misfortune  or  disease  become  dependent 
because  of  similar  defects.  Under  the  older  civilizations 
such  as  these  received  little  care  from  the  state  or  from 
any  one  else.  They  were  the  outcasts  of  society  and  the 
festering  sores  in  every  community  life.  Only  in  compara- 
tively recent  years  has  anything  been  done  to  really  help 
these  unfortunates  or  to  give  them  any  recognition  as  hav- 
ing a  right  to  a  place  on  the  earth.  In  our  times  schools 
are  built  for  those  who  can  be  taught,  and  asylums  for 
those  needing  constant  care  and  attention.  Illinois  has  not 
been  behind  any  other  state  in  providing  for  this  unfortunate 
class  of  her  citizens. 

There  are  now  seventeen  institutions  in  the  state  under  the 
direction  of  the  state  board  of  charities,  in  which  about 
fourteen  thousand  people,  young  and  old,  are  taken  care  of. 
The  secretary  of  state  gives  the  following  list  of  institutions 
and  inmates  for  1906: 

Six  hospitals  for  the  insane 8,541 

Asylum    for    Criminal    Insane 198 

Institution  for  the  Deaf 435 

Institution  for  the  Blind 208 

Asylum  for  Feeble-Minded   Children 1,482 

Soldiers '  Home    1,709 

Soldiers '  Orphans '  Home 310 

Soldiers '  Widows '  Home 73 

I50 


Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary 186 

State  Training  School  for  Girls 314 

St.  Charles  Boys'  Home 217 

Industrial  Home  for  the  Blind 74 

13,747 

The  Penal  and  Reformatory  Institutions. 

As  early  as  1827  the  need  of  a  state  institution  for  the 
incarceration  of  criminals  was  recognized.  An  appropria- 
tion was  made  for  the  erection  of  a  building  for  this  pur- 
pose. It  was  located  at  Alton  and  at  first  contained  only 
twenty-five  cells.  This  was  the  state  prison  until  1857,  when 
an  act  was  passed  for  the  building  of  a  new  and  larger 
prison  at  Joliet.  This  new  structure  was  opened  in  1858, 
although  it  was  not  then  completed,  and  indeed  has  been 
in  almost  constant  course  of  extension  ever  since.  In  1877 
there  were  over  nineteen  hundred  prisoners  at  Joliet  and 
the  legislature  provided  for  a  second  penitentiary  to  be  lo- 
cated at  Chester,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Kaskaskia  river, 
and  only  five  miles  distant  from  the  old  town  of  Kaskaskia, 
of  which  we  have  had  so  much  to  do  in  these  stories.  This 
prison  was  opened  for  the  reception  of  prisoners  in  1878, 
when  a  number  were  transferred  from  the  overcrowded 
quarters  at  Joliet. 

In  addition  to  these  prisons,  there  is  the  state  reform 
school  located  at  Pontiac.  This  school  was  established  in 
1867.  This  school  was  intended  to  give  a  chance  for  edu- 
cation and  reformation  for  young  men  for  whom  there 
seemed  some  hope  of  reforming  and  winning  back  to  use- 
ful citizenship.  The  age  limit  has  been  raised  until  now 
boys  from  ten  to  twenty-one  years  of  age  are  sent  there. 
There  are  at  this  time  approximately  eleven  hundred  in- 
mates. 


151 


CHAPTER  XX 

SOME  OF  THE  MEN  WHO  MADE  THE  STATE 

The  greatness  of  a  state  may  be  read  in  the  biographies  of 
its  citizens.  If  the  average  of  the  citizenship  js  high,  no 
state  can  be  insignificant.  If  it  be  low,  the  whole  civic 
structure  shows  the  effect.  For  this  reason  we  have  taken 
great  pains  and  have  gone  to  great  expense  to  establish  and 
foster  a  system  of  public  schools  wherein  every  boy  and 
girl  may  imbibe  the  fundamental  notions  of  good  citizen- 
ship. Every  boy  and  girl  in  the  land  should  take  pride  in 
these  institutions  and  should  strive  to  make  them  somewhat 
better  than  they  are. 

In  this  chapter  we  shall  give  brief  notes  upon  the  lives  of 
some  of  the  great  men  of  the  state.  We  shall  not  name  a 
fourth  part  of  those  who  are  worthy  of  mention,  nor  shall 
we  be  able  to  give  more  than  a  few  facts  concerning  the 
lives  of  those  whom  we  do  mention. 

George  Rogers  Clark  wrested  the  Illinois  country  from 
the  British  by  his  heroic  capture  of  the  settlements  at  Kas- 
kaskia,  Cahokia  and  Vincennes.  He  was  born  in  Albemarle 
county,  Virginia,  in  November,  1752.  He  became  a  farmer 
and  later  took  up  the  work  of  surveying.  He  fought  in 
some  of  the  Indian  skirmishes  along  the  Virginia  and  Ohio 
borders.  The  great  act  of  his  life  was  the  organizing  and 
leading  of  the  force  that  invaded  the  Illinois  country  in 
1778.    After  the  close  of  the  Revolution  he  did  some  fight- 

152 


ing  against  the  Indians,  but  soon  retired  to  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Feb- 
ruary 1 8,  1818,  the  very  year  that  Illinois  became  a  state, 
with  Kaskaskia  as  its  capital. 

Arthur  St.  Clair,  first  governor  of  the  Northwest  ter- 
ritory, of  which  Illinois  formed  a  part  (1789-1802),  was 
born  in  Scotland,  coming  to  this  country  as  a  young  man 
of  about  twenty-three.  He  served  under  Washington  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  made  his  home  in  Pennsylva- 
nia and  represented  that  state  in  the  Continental  Congress. 
In  1802  President  Jefferson  removed  him  from  the  gover- 
norship of  the  Northwest  territory,  after  which  he  retired  to 
private  life.  He  died  at  Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  Au- 
gust, 1 818,  the  same  year  that  Illinois  became  a  state. 

Shadrach  Bond  was  the  first  territorial  delegate  of  Illi- 
nois to  the  United  States  Congress  (1812-1814).  He  was 
instrumental  in  securing  a  preemption  law,  the  first  in  the 
United  States.  He  was  the  first  governor  of  Illinois,  serv- 
ing from  18 1 8  to  1822.    He  died  at  Kaskaskia  in  1832. 

Nathaniel  Pope  was  our  territorial  delegate  in  Con- 
gress when  Illinois  asked  for  the  enabling  act  which  made 
it  possible  for  her  to  become  a  state.  To  Mr.  Pope's  far- 
sighted  statesmanship  and  skill  in  presenting  his  views  be- 
fore the  congressional  committee  are  we  indebted  to  the 
fact  that  the  site  of  Chicago  is  in  the  state  of  Illinois  and 
not  in  Wisconsin.  Had  Mr.  Pope  been  blind  to  the  occa- 
sion, we  should  have  had  neither  the  Chicago  river  nor  the 
shore  of  Lake  Michigan  within  our  boundaries.  The  orig- 
inal description  of  our  territory  cut  us  off  with  a  line  run- 
ning directly  west  from  the  southern  extremity  of  Lake 
Michigan.  Mr.  Pope  succeeded  in  getting  the  line  estab- 
lished at  forty-two  degrees  and  thirty  minutes  of  north 
latitude,  where  it  was  effectually  maintained.  When  Illi- 
nois was  made  a  state  Mr.  Pope  was  made  United  States 
judge  of  the  district,  which  then  included  the  whole  of  the 

153 


state.  He  held  this  office  until  the  time  of  his  death  in 
January,  1850. 

Edward  Coles  succeeded  Bond  as  governor  of  Illinois. 
He  was  a  Virginian,  but  removed  to  Illinois  in  18 19  with 
all  his  belongings.  Among  these  belongings  were  twenty- 
six  slaves.  When  he  reached  Illinois  he  told  the  slaves  that 
they  were  all  free  and  gave  to  each  head  of  a  family  one 
hundred  sixty  acres  of  land.  In  1822  he  was  elected  gover- 
nor upon  an  anti-slavery  ticket.  He  was  very  active  and 
influential  in  the  slavery  struggle  at  that  time  before  the 
people  of  the  state.  He  gave  his  entire  salary  to  the  cause 
and  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  cause  of  slavery 
had  been  killed  in  the  state.  In  1833  ne  removed  from 
Illinois  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  died  in  1868,  having  had 
the  great  pleasure  of  seeing  slavery  destroyed  in  the  entire 
United  States. 

Morris  Birkbeck  should  be  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  slavery  struggle  of  Illinois.  He  was  the  warm 
friend  and  aid  of  Governor  Coles  in  the  contest.  Birkbeck 
was  a  well-to-do  Englishman  who  came  to  this  country  in 
18 1 7.  He  came  to  Illinois  and  bought  a  large  tract  of  land 
in  what  is  now  Edwards  county.  He  was  followed  by  a 
large  colony  whom  he  had  persuaded  to  come  to  America, 
and  they  founded  the  town  of  New  Albion.  He  was  an  able 
and  active  writer  and  speaker,  urging  the  great  possibilities 
of  Illinois  and  the  importance  of  prohibiting  slavery  within 
the  state.  Mr.  Birkbeck  lost  his  life  by  accidental  drowning 
in  1825. 

Ninian  Edwards  was  governor  of  Illinois  from  1826  to 
1830.  He  had  come  to  Illinois  from  the  state  of  Kentucky, 
where  he  had  studied  law  and  had  succeeded  so  well  that 
he  was  made  chief  justice  of  the  court  of  appeals.  In 
1809,  when  Illinois  became  an  independent  territory,  Presi- 
dent Madison  appointed  Edwards  as  the  first  territorial 
governor.  He  served  until  Illinois  became  a  state.  At  the 
close  of  his  term  as  governor  in  1830  he  retired  to  his  home 

154 


at  Belleville,  where  he  died  in  1833  from  an  attack  of 
cholera. 

John  Reynolds  succeeded  Edwards  as  governor  of  Illi- 
nois in  1830.  He  was  a  typical  backwoods  character,  al- 
though said  to  have  received  some  college  training  in  Ten- 
nessee. He  was  governor  of  the  state  during  the  Black 
Hawk  disturbances  and  led  the  state  militia  in  person.  He 
wrote  a  number  of  books,  chiefly  historical,  the  best  known 
of  which  is  "My  Life  and  Times."    He  died  in  1865. 

Elijah  Parish  Lovejoy,  the  martyr  to  the  cause  of  abo- 
lition, was  a  son  of  Maine.  He  came  to  the  West  in  1827, 
settling  in  St.  Louis.  He  was  educated  for  the  ministry  in 
the  Presbyterian  church,  but  much  of  his  time  was  given 
to  journalism.  In  St.  Louis  he  started  the  Observer,  a  re- 
ligious weekly  newspaper.  His  editorials  upon  the  subject 
of  slavery  were  displeasing  to  a  large  part  of  the  com- 
munity, and,  under  threats  from  the  pro-slavery  party,  he 
decided  to  leave  the  state.  He  carried  his  press  and  printing 
outfit  to  Alton  in  Illinois.  Before  the  press  could  be  set 
up,  even  as  it  lay  upon  the  wharf,  it  was  attacked  by  a 
mob  and  partially  destroyed;  the  mob  was  said  to  have  fol- 
lowed the  editor  from  St.  Louis.  This  was  in  July,  1836. 
The  citizens  of  Alton  deprecated  this  action  and  a  sub- 
scription was  raised  to  purchase  a  new  press.  But  there 
was  to  be  no  compromise.  Press  after  press  was  destroyed 
until  four  were  ruined.  The  life  of  Lovejoy  was  made  al- 
most unendurable,  but  still  he  stood  for  what  he  claimed 
as  his  rights  as  an  American  citizen  and  refused  to  be  co- 
erced by  the  mobs  that  hounded  him. 

When  it  became  known  that  a  fourth  press  had  been 
ordered  and  was  on  its  way  to  the  city  an  indignation  meet- 
ing was  called  by  the  pro  slavery  citizens  of  Alton.  At  this 
meeting,  held  November  3,  Lovejoy  appeared  and  after 
listening  to  the  speeches  made  against  him  delivered  the 
following  manly  and  pathetic  appeal: 

"Mr.  Chairman,  it  is  not  true  as  has  been  charged  upon 

155 


me  that  I  hold  in  contempt  the  feelings  and  sentiments 
of  this  community  in  reference  to  the  question  which  is 
now  agitating  it.  But,  sir,  while  I  value  the  good  opin- 
ion of  my  fellow  citizens  as  highly  as  anyone,  I  may 
be  permitted  to  say  that  I  am  governed  by  higher  con- 
siderations than  either  the  favor  or  the  fear  of  man.  I 
plant  myself  down  upon  my  unquestionable  right,  and 
the  question  to  be  decided  is  whether  I  shall  be  pro- 
tected in  the  enjoyments  of  these  rights — that  is  the 
question,  sir,  whether  my  property  shall  be  protected, 
whether  I  shall  be  suffered  to  go  home  to  my  family  at 
night  without  being  assailed,  threatened  with  tar  and 
feathers  and  assassination — whether  my  afflicted  wife, 
whose  life  has  been  in  jeopardy  from  continual  alarm  and 
excitement,  shall  night  after  night  be  driven  from  a  sick 
bed  into  the  garret  to  save  herself  from  brick  bats  and 
violence  of  the  mob.  That,  sir,  is  the  question !  I  know, 
sir,  that  you  can  tar  and  feather  me,  hang  me,  or  put  me 
in  the  Mississippi  without  the  least  difficulty.  But  what 
then?  Where  shall  I  go?  I  have  concluded,  after  con- 
sulting with  my  friends,  and  earnestly  seeking  counsel  of 
God,  to  remain  in  Alton,  and  here  insist  on  protection 
in  the  exercise  of  my  rights.  If  the  civil  authorities 
refuse  to  protect  me,  I  must  look  to  God,  and  if  I  die, 
I  am  determined  to  make  my  grave  in  Alton." 

When,  after  several  days  of  intense  excitement,  the  fourth 
press  reached  Alton  on  the  morning  of  November  7,  1837, 
a  plot  was  at  once  entered  into  by  his  enemies  to  destroy 
this  press  also.  It  was  removed  to  a  warehouse,  and  here, 
in  the  night  of  the  seventh  of  November,  as  he  and  some 
of  his  friends  tried  to  defend  his  property  from  violence, 
he  was  shot  down  by  the  mob  and  killed.  It  was  a  tragic 
episode,  carried  out  through  the  more  than  two  years  during 
which  Lovejoy  stood  for  the  rights  of  free  speech  as  well 
as  for  the  rights  of  man.  His  death  had  more  to  do  with 
the  growth  of  abolition  sentiment  in  Illinois  than  any  other 
one  thing.  He  was  regarded  as  a  martyr,  and  as  such  his 
influence  and  sentiments  were  felt  far  and  near.    For  those 

156 


who  want  an  example  of  a  brave  man  standing  almost  alone 
against  great  odds,  simply  for  the  sake  of  the  right  as  he 
recognized  it,  when  he  might  have  found  safety  and  ease 
elsewhere,  our  history  furnishes  few  parallels  to  that  of  E. 
P.  Lovejoy. 

Stephen  Arnold  Douglas  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1813 
and  came  to  Illinois  in  1833.  He  studied  law  at  Winchester, 
Illinois,  and  after  service  in  several  official  positions  be- 
came justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state  in  1842.  He 
was  elected  to  Congress  in  1842,  1844  and  1846,  serving 
two  terms,  when  he  was  chosen  to  the  United  States  Senate 
in  1846.  He  was  reelected  twice,  the  second  time  in  1849 
after  the  famous  debates  with  Abraham  Lincoln.  Douglas 
was  looking  forward  to  a  probable  election  to  the  office  of 
president  of  the  United  States,  but  his  debates  with  Lincoln, 
while  for  the  time  successful,  seemed  to  effectually  separate 
him  from  his  democratic  friends  in  the  south.  When  the 
time  came  for  nominating  standard  bearers  for  the  demo- 
cratic party  Douglas  found  himself  in  control  of  only  a 
minority  of  the  forces.  The  convention  broke  up  into  fac- 
tions and  instead  of  presenting  a  united  front  there  were 
several  candidates,  against  whom  was  opposed  the  rail- 
splitter  of  the  Sangamon,  and  Douglas  was  badly  beaten. 
It  was  a  severe  blow  to  his  pride  and  he  probably  never 
recovered  from  it.  Although  opposed  to  Lincoln  in  the 
great  battle  for  the  presidency,  there  were  none  who  stood 
more  loyally  by  the  administration  of  the  great  president 
than  did  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  He  was  a  patriot  as  well  as 
a  party  man,  and  not  for  a  moment  did  he  hesitate  when 
the  time  came  to  give  his  voice  and  influence  for  the  union 
cause.  He  died  in  Chicago,  June  3,  1861,  before  the  war 
had  scarcely  begun. 

In  Woodland  park,  Chicago,  stands  the  Douglas  monu- 
ment, by  Leonard  Volk,  consisting  of  a  granite  base,  sur- 
mounted by  a  bronze  figure  of  the  distinguished  senator, 
while  at  the  four  corners  of  the  sarcophagus-like  base  are 

J57 


bronze  allegorical  figures  representing  Illinois,  History,  Jus- 
tice and  Eloquence.  The  shaft  is  something  over  ioo  feet 
in  height  and  was  erected  by  the  state  at  a  cost  of  $100,000. 
Abraham  Lincoln,  the  "First  American"  for  whom  Na- 
ture made  a  new  mold,  using  clay  out  of  the  great  West, 
was  born  in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  February  12,  1809. 
In  1830,  with  his  father  he  came  to  Illinois,  settling  in 
Macon  county.  While  a  boy  and  young  man  he  spent  his 
life  as  did  most  of  the  youth  in  this  frontier  country.  Abe 
was  more  industrious  and  more  far-seeing  than  most  of  his 
associates,  and  blessed  with  rugged  health  and  great  phys- 
ical endurance,  was  prepared  to  follow  the  life  of  farm- 
hand, flatboatman,  rail-splitter,  store-keeper  or  any  other 
occupation  that  might  offer.  He  had  very  little  opportunity 
for  schooling  or  self-education.  What  little  he  had  was 
used  wisely  and  persistently.  He  would  walk  miles  to  bor- 
row books  and  would  spend  many  of  his  sleeping  hours  in 
reading  them.  No  one  can  read  his  speeches  without  being 
amazed  not  only  with  the  extent  of  reading  they  exhibit, 
but  the  thoroughness  with  which  he  had  digested  the  themes 
of  the  authors.  For  one  who  had  so  few  opportunities  to 
get  books  this  is  remarkable.  Lincoln  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Black  Hawk  War,  as  were  Jefferson  Davis,  Major  Ander- 
son, of  Fort  Sumter  fame,  and  many  others  who  afterwards 
became  noted  leaders.  Lincoln  studied  law  in  his  odd  hours 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1836.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  state  legislature  for  several  years.  He  served  upon 
the  delegation  that  was  charged  with  securing  the  location 
of  the  capitol  building  at  Springfield.  He  was  a  member 
of  Congress  from  1847  to  J849.  In  1855  he  was  a  candidate 
for  election  to  the  United  States  senate,  but  was  beaten. 
In  1847  ne  was  one  °t  tne  leading  spirits  in  the  formation 
of  the  republican  party  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  the  conven- 
tion meeting  at  Bloomington.  In  1858  he  was  nominated 
by  his  party  for  the  United  States  senate.  Out  of  this  nom- 
ination grew  th§  notable  debates  between  Lincoln  and  Doug- 

158 


las.  Lincoln  was  beaten  for  the  senate,  but  his  reputation 
was  made,  and  in  i860  he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of 
president  of  the  United  States  and  elected.  The  rest  of 
his  public  life  is  written  in  the  history  of  the  Civil  War, 
which  began  with  the  beginning  of  his  administration  and 
was  about  at  its  close  when  he  was  assassinated  by  John 
Wilkes  Booth,  a  half-crazed  actor,  on  the  fifteenth  of  April, 
1865.  Lincoln  was  shot  in  Ford's  theater  on  the  evening 
of  April  15,  died  the  following  morning,  and,  after  a  na- 
tional funeral  the  like  of  which  had  never  been  known  in 
this  country,  his  body  was  laid  to  rest  in  the  city  where 
he  had  made  his  home,  the  capital  of  his  state. 

At  the  corner  of  Lake  and  Market  streets,  on  the  building 
occupied  by  Reid,  Murdoch  &  Co.,  a  memorial  tablet  marks 
the  site  of  the  temporary  wigwam  in  which  Abraham  Lin- 
coln was  nominated  for  the  presidency,  May  18,  i860.  The 
tablet  was  placed  by  the  Chicago  Centennial  association  at 
the  celebration  of  Chicago's  hundredth  anniversary,  Sept. 
26  to  Oct.  2,  1903. 

A  month  after  the  assassination  of  Lincoln  an  association 
was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  national  monu- 
ment. There  was  a  hearty  response  to  the  appeal  and 
ground  was  broken  for  the  monument  in  September,  1869, 
and  it  was  dedicated  in  October,  1874.  It  stands  upon  an 
eminence  in  Oak  Ridge  cemetery,  Springfield.  The  base  is 
seventy-two  and  a  half  feet  from  east  to  west  and  one  hun- 
dred nineteen  and  a  half  feet  from  north  to  south,  rising 
by  gradations  to  a  height  of  twenty-eight  feet  and  four 
inches  from  the  ground.  Surmounting  this  is  an  obelisk 
rising  ninety-two  feet  higher.  The  total  height  from  the 
ground  to  the  top  of  the  obelisk  is  one  hundred  twenty 
feet  and  four  inches.  In  1899,  owing  to  signs  of  weak- 
ness in  the  monument,  the  legislature  appropriated  $100,000 
for  repairs  and  the  entire  structure  was  gone  over  and 
strengthened. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Robert  T.  Lincoln,  the  Board  of 

159 


Control  had  a  cemented  vault  made  beneath  the  floor  of 
the  catacomb,  and  in  this  vault  the  body  of  President  Lin- 
coln was  placed  Sept.  26,  1901. 

Joel  Matteson  was  governor  of  Illinois  from  1853  to 
1857.  He  was  born  in  New  York  in  1808.  After  some  ex- 
perience in  other  parts  of  the  country  he  came  to  Illinois  in 
1834,  making  his  home  at  Joliet,  in  Will  county,  where  he 
engaged  in  manufacturing.  Under  the  administration  of 
Governor  Matteson,  and  largely  through  his  influence,  the 
school  law  of  1855,  the  basis  of  our  present  law,  was  passed 
by  the  legislature.  After  the  close  of  his  term  as  governor, 
he  removed  to  Chicago  where  he  made  his  home  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  January  31,  1873. 

Ninian  W.  Edwards,  a  son  of  Governor  Edwards,  de- 
serves a  conspicuous  place  in  the  history  of  the  state.  When, 
upon  the  recommendation  of  Governor  Matteson,  the  legis- 
lature provided  for  the  enactment  of  a  school  law  and  for 
the  establishing  of  the  office  of  superintendent  of  schools, 
Ninian  Edwards  was  the  man  selected  for  that  office.  So 
it  fell  into  his  hands,  by  virtue  of  that  appointment  and 
the  act  of  the  legislature,  to  draft  a  school  law  for  the 
state.  No  one  doubts  the  honesty  of  purpose  and  great  de- 
votion with  which  he  set  to  work  upon  that  task,  and  the 
law  produced  and  enacted  stands  today  as  the  best  monu- 
ment to  the  ability  and  broad  views  of  education  possessed 
by  its  compiler.  From  the  appointment  of  Ninian  Edwards 
to  the  office  of  state  superintendent  may  be  said  to  date 
the  beginning  of  free  schools  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  Ninian 
Edwards  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  in  1809,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  Springfield,  September  2,  1889. 

Richard  Yates  was  the  governor  of  Illinois  in  the  Civil 
War  times.  It  was  a  trying  position,  as  a  large  element  of 
the  population,  especially  in  the  southern  part  of  the  state, 
was  bitterly  opposed  to  the  war.  The  legislature  was  badly 
divided,  and  only  by  the  most  positive  spirit  of  loyalty  to 
Union  principles  was  a  serious  division  of  sentiment  pre- 

160 


vented.  Yates  was  known  as  one  of  the  great  war  govern- 
ors. He  deserved  all  praise  for  the  courage  and  straight- 
forward manner  in  which  he  dealt  with  the  questions  of 
the  war.  Under  the  impetus  and  enthusiasm  created  by 
this  fearless  governor,  Illinois  came  forward  with  nearly 
two  hundred  fifty  thousand  boys  in  blue,  and  their  part  in 
the  war  was  one  of  honor  to  themselves  and  of  glory  to  the 
state. 

Yates  was  born  in  Warsaw,  Kentucky,  in  1815.  In  183 1 
the  family  removed  to  Illinois,  making  their  home  at  Spring- 
field. He  studied  law,  served  in  the  state  legislature  and 
in  Congress.  He  aided  in  the  organization  of  the  repub- 
lican party  in  Illinois,  and  at  the  same  time  Lincoln  was 
elected  president,  Yates  was  elected  to  the  governorship  of 
Illinois.  After  his  term  of  office  had  expired  he  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  senate,  where  he  served  from  1865  to 
187 1.  He  died  in  St.  Louis,  suddenly,  while  passing  through 
the  city  on  a  business  trip  under  the  appointment  of  Presi- 
dent Grant,  November  27,  1873. 

U.  S.  Grant  came  to  the  state  in  middle  life.  He  was 
thirty-eight  years  of  age  when  he  made  his  home  in  Ga- 
lena. He  was  born  at  Point  Pleasant,  Clermont  county, 
Ohio,  April  2y,  1822.  He  graduated  from  the  West  Point 
Academy  and  entered  the  army.  He  served  in  the  Mexican 
War  and  afterward  retiring  from  the  army  he  settled  at 
St.  Louis,  removing  from  there  to  Illinois  in  i860.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  at  once  offered  his  serv- 
ices to  the  government  and  was  soon  placed  in  charge  of 
the  Union  forces  at  Cairo.  From  the  day  in  February, 
1862,  when  he  led  his  troops  against  the  enemy's  camp  at 
Belmont,  until  his  death  in  the  cottage  at  Mount  McGregor, 
in  July,  1885,  his  story  is  in  large  part  the  story  of  the 
Civil  War  and  the  reconstruction  of  the  southern  states 
after  the  close  of  the  war. 


161 


Space  forbids  that  we  should  thus  go  on  through'  the 
whole  list  of  those  worthy  a  place  upon  the  honorable  es- 
cutcheon of  the  state,  else  would  we  tell  of  Logan,  one  of 
our  great  volunteer  leaders ;  of  Oglesby  and  Palmer,  strong 
in  statecraft  and  faithful  to  civic  duty ;  of  Hovey  and  Bate- 
man  and  Edwards  and  Hewitt  and  a  great  multitude  of 
others  who  have  made  our  educational  sky  glitter  with  stars 
as  does  the  blue  canopy  at  night.  We  should  name  Riggs 
and  Walker  and  Cartwright  and  Peck  and  Finley,  and  thou- 
sands of  their  co-laborers  and  successors,  who  made  reli- 
gious life  a  necessity  and  saved  the  pioneer  settlements  from 
paganism.  We  would  go  even  further  back  than  this  and 
tell  of  the  heroic  souls  who  planted  their  cabins  over  against 
the  hunting  grounds  of  the  savage,  and,  taking  their  lives 
in  their  hands,  by  sacrifice  and  self-denial,  by  sufferings  oft 
beyond  description,  and  with  death  often  by  violence,  some- 
times at  the  stake  and  sometimes  with  lingering  illness  far 
from  medical  aid  or  skillful  nursing,  made  this  land  possible 
for  our  twentieth  century  civilization  and  comforts.  It  was 
such  as  these  that  laid  the  foundations  of  the  prosperity  and 
greatness  of  our  state,  and  of  these  we  are  in  no  sense 
worthy  unless  we  shall  add  to  the  inheritance  something 
from  our  own  lives  and  industry  that  shall  redound  to  the 
honor  of  our  state. 


162 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE    MAKING   OF    CHICAGO 

Beside  the  lake,  covering  and  spreading  all  about  the  spot 
where  Marquette  spent  the  long  wearisome  winter  of  1674-5, 
has  grown  up  a  great  city  giving  homes  to  two  millions  of 
people.  Instead  of  the  frail  canoes  paddling  along  the 
shore  or  pushing  up  the  rivers  we  have  great  ships  made 
of  steel  and  carrying  thousands  of  tons  of  freight  coming 
and  going  every  day  in  the  year.  The  war-whoop  of  the 
Indian  no  longer  echoes  across  the  sands  of  the  lake  shore 
and  his  wigwam  no  longer  adds  picturesqueness  and  sol- 
emnity to  the  scene.  Instead  of  these  we  have  the  shriek- 
ing of  thousands  of  steam  whistles,  the  rumbling  of  unnum- 
bered wheels  along  steel  rails  or  over  granite  stones  and  the 
atmosphere  is  laden  with  belching  volumes  of  black  and 
heavy  smoke  from  countless  factory  and  office  chimneys. 

In  digging  for  foundations  in  the  city  of  London  work- 
men have  turned  up  implements  and  household  utensils 
used  by  Englishmen  five  hundred  years  ago;  still  below 
that  they  have  found  the  armour  and  spears  and  coins  of 
the  Norman  French  who  came  into  the  country  with  William 
the  Conqueror  nearly  nine  hundred  years  ago;  still  below 
that  they  have  discovered  the  stone  foundations  and  shields 
and  bridle-bits  and  coins  left  by  the  Romans  who  lived  in 
the  city  eighteen  hundred  years  ago;  and  yet  beneath  that 
have  been  found  the  simple  tools  and  household  articles 

163 


of  the  ancient  Britons  who  founded  the  city  of  London 
before  Julius  Caesar  was  born,  perhaps,  before  the  city  of 
Rome  was  built  upon  her  seven  hills. 

The  same  might  be  said  of  many  other  cities  where  mul- 
titudes of  men  have  gathered  like  hives  of  bees.  We  walk 
the  streets  of  Boston  and  see  the  buildings  in  which  Otis 
and  Hancock  and  Adams  thrilled  their  audiences  by  fiery 
denunciations  of  English  oppressions;  we  see  the  very 
church  steeple  which  flashed  the  light  that  started  Paul 
Revere  on  his  midnight  ride.  The  men  who  builded  and 
lived  and  loved  and  died  in  these  structures  and  walked 
these  streets  in  sunlight  by  day  and  in  darkness  by  night 
have  become  as  historic  and  as  distant  as  are  the  pyramids 
of  Egypt.  With  every  great  city  we  associate  the  notion  of 
age,  of  time,  of  past  generations. 

But  here  beside  the  lake  has  grown  up  a  phenomenon 
in  the  history  of  cities.  There  are  men  among  us  who 
can  remember  when  the  waste  of  sands  from  Beverley 
hills  to  North  Shore  drive  was  broken  by  not  more  than 
a  score  of  rude  buildings.  There  are  many  among  us  who 
can  remember  when  the  total  population  could  be  written 
down  in  three  figures, — and  now  it  takes  seven.  For  rap- 
idity of  growth,  for  solidity  of  structure,  for  its  imperial 
command  of  trade  and  commerce  it  stands  alone,  unique 
and  unchallenged  among  all  the  cities  of  the  world.  It  is 
fitting  that  it  should  be  so.  It  is  the  great  city  of  the  Illinois 
country  and  Illinois  is  our  state. 

The  biography  of  a  city  should  be  as  interesting  and 
instructive  as  the  biography  of  a  man  and  it  will  do  us 
good  to  spend  a  little  time  trying  to  image,  as  best  we  can, 
the  gradual  development  of  this,  our  Chicago. 

There  are  many  theories  as  to  the  origin  of  the  name 
Chicago.  The  one  that  has  been  generally  accepted  is  that 
it  is  an  Indian  word,  signifying  a  bad  smell.  As  applied  to 
this  region,  it  is  supposed  to  have  referred  to  the  wild 
onions  which  grew  rankly  all  over  the  marshy  plain.     By 

164 


other  authorities  the  name  is  said  to  have  been  derived  from 
an  Indian  word  meaning  strong  or  mighty.  The  Indians 
are  said  to  have  applied  the  name  to  the  Mississippi,  to 
thunder  and  to  the  voice  of  the  Great  Manitou.  Father  Hen- 
nepin used  the  name  to  designate  the  Illinois  river.  LaSalle 
gave  the  name  to  the  Desplaines  and  also  to  the  Calumet. 

He  speaks  of  the  "Chicagou  Portage."  The  name  came 
at  last  to  designate  both  the  plain  and  the  river  long  before 
Fort  Dearborn  came  to  be  built. 

After  the  successful  campaign  of  General  Anthony  Wayne 
against  the  Indians  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Michigan  and  Illinois 
in  1794-5,  the  different  tribes  were  forced  to  cede  parts 
of  their  lands  to  the  United  States.  The  Pottawatomies, 
who  occupied  the  country  bordering  upon  the  lake  in 
Illinois,  gave  up  "one  piece  of  land,  six  miles  square,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  river  emptying  into  Lake  Mich- 
igan, where  a  fort  formerly  stood."  This  was  practically 
the  site  of  the  present  Chicago,  and  thus  it  was  that 
the  real  estate  trade  for  the  ground  upon  which  we  have 
builded  our  city  was  conducted,  and  thus  the  title  to  our 
city  lots  was  obtained  from  the  Indians. 

In  1803,  the  secretary  of  war  ordered  a  company  of 
soldiers  to  move  from  Detroit  to  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago 
river  and  there  establish  and  occupy  a  fort.  The  following 
year  Fort  Dearborn  was  completed  and  was  occupied  by 
two  companies  of  soldiers. 

The  story  of  the  fort  is  briefly  told  upon  a  bronze  tablet 
built  into  the  walls  of  the  Hoyt  building  at  the  foot  of 
Michigan  avenue  in  the  following  inscription: 

"This  building  occupies  the  site  of  old  Fort  Dearborn, 
which  extended  a  little  across  Michigan  avenue,  and  some- 
what into  the  river  as  it  now  is.  The  fort  was  built  in 
1803-4,  forming  our  outmost  defense.  By  order  of  Gen. 
Hull,  it  was  evacuated  Aug.  15,  1812,  after  its  stores  and 
provisions  had  been  distributed  among  the  Indians.  Very 
soon  after,  the  Indians  attacked  and  massacred  about  fifty 

165 


of  the  troops  and  a  number  of  citizens,  including  women 
and  children,  and  next  day  burned  the  fort.  In  1816  it  was 
rebuilt,  but  after  the  Black  Hawk  war  it  went  into  gradual 
disuse,  and  in  May,  1837,  was  abandoned  by  the  army, 
but  was  occupied  by  various  government  offices  till  1857, 
when  it  was  taken  down  excepting  a  single  building  which 
stood  upon  this  site  till  the  great  fire  of  Oct.  9,  187 1.  At 
the  suggestion  of  the  Chicago  Historical  society  this  tablet 
was  erected  by  W.  M.  Hoyt,  November,  1880." 

Around  this  fort  gathered  a  few  fur  traders  with  their 
families.  John  Kinzie,  the  first  permanent  white  settler, 
came  in  1804.  With  him  came  his  wife,  his  nephew,  Robert 
Forsythe,  his  nine  year  old  stepdaughter,  Margaret  Mc- 
Killup,  and  the  little  John  Kinzie,  who  was  conveyed  in  a 
birch-bark  cradle  swung  from  the  shoulders  of  "Black  Jim," 
a  negro  slave.  In  1805  came  Charles  Jouett;  then  there 
were  the  families  of  Charles  Lee,  Mr.  Burns  and  Mr. 
White.  This  was  the  population  of  Chicago  in  1806.  In 
1804,  Ellen  Marion  Kinzie  was  born, — the  first  white  child 
born  in  Chicago. 

The  stories  of  fun  and  frolic,  of  joy  and  laughter,  of 
births  and  deaths  which  come  down  to  us  from  those  days 
of  pioneer  life,  in  the  midst  of  swamps  and  sands  beside 
our  beautiful  lake,  seem  like  fairy  lore  of  far  oft"  lands. 
Yet  they  were  the  lives  and  loves  of  those  who  might  have 
talked  with  our  fathers,  giving  them  from  experience  the 
tales  of  Indian  life  and  bloody  massacres. 

The  fort  was  rebuilt  in  181 6,  as  told  on  our  tablet,  and 
settlers  again  gathered  about  it,  gradually  increasing  in 
number. 

James  Galloway  arrived  overland  from  Ohio  in  1824. 
The  story  of  his  journey  was  a  nine  days'  wonder.  At 
Sandusky  he  had  put  a  gun,  tomahawk,  steel  traps,  blan- 
kets, bacon  and  corn  meal  in  a  wagon.  He  shot  game  to 
eat  on  the  way,  and  sold  the  peltries  in  Fort  Wayne. 
From  there  he  crossed  Indiana  and  Michigan  to  St.  Joseph, 

166 


and  followed  the  Indian  trail  around  the  end  of  the  lake. 
He  toiled  through  the  sand  dunes  where  Michigan  City  now 
stands,  and  got  stuck  in  the  mud  of  the  Calumet  marsh.  He 
went  on  nearly  ioo  miles  west  of  Chicago  to  the  grand 
rapids  of  the  Illinois  river  and,  on  the  site  of  Marseilles, 
staked  out  a  claim  in  the  military  road  strip. 

The  next  year  he  went  back  to  Ohio  for  his  family, 
bringing  them  around  by  the  Great  Lakes. 

It  was  recognized  that  Chicago  was  the  natural  transfer 
point  between  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Mississippi  valley. 
President  Monroe  was  deluged  with  petitions,  even  so  early 
as  that,  asking  for  the  opening  of  roads  and  canals  to  con- 
nect these  great  waterways. 

The  southern  part  of  the  state  was  settled  more  rapidly 
than  the  northern  part,  as  has  been  shown  by  the  maps  of 
a  preceding  chapter.  It  was  not  until  1823  that  this  region 
came  under  the  civil  rule  of  the  state  as  a  district  "attached 
to  Fulton  County."  The  first  election  was  held  that  year  in 
the  Indian  agency  house.  That  same  year  the  entire  prop- 
erty of  Chicago  was  assessed  at  $2.50. 

In  1830,  Chicago  really  began  to  take  on  signs  of  life 
and  growth.  The  Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  had  been 
chartered  and  large  tracts  of  land  had  been  donated  by 
the  government  to  aid  in  the  construction.  Chicago  was 
described  at  that  time  as  "a  village  of  fifteen  houses  and  a 
fort,  located  on  Section  9,  Township  39,  Range  14."  This 
was  the  terminus  of  the  canal,  and  town  lots  were  laid 
off  and  offered  for  sale.  Then  business  began.  Lots  sold 
as  high  as  $75  each. 

In  183 1  Cook  County  was  organized.  In  1832  the  taxes 
of  Chicago  amounted  to  $150  and  the  village  trustees  erected 
the  first  public  building,  a  cattle  yard  for  stray  cattle,  at 
a  cost  of  twelve  dollars. 

The  Black  Hawk  war  and  the  cholera  came  like  a  frost 
upon  the  budding  prosperity  of  the  young  city.  But  it 
soon  recovered  and  in  1833  the  population  had  grown  to 

167 


fifty  families.  In  1905  four  of  the  pioneer  settlers  who 
came  to  Chicago  in  1833-4  met  at  a  reunion.  How  strange 
it  must  have  seemed  to  them  to  look  out  upon  the  miles  and 
miles  of  brick  and  stone  buildings  and  reflect  that  when 
they  came  here  to  settle  there  were  only  fifty  houses !  Before 
the  close  of  1834  the  population  had  grown  to  about  2,000. 
The  real  estate  boom  was  making  the  town. 

The  chief  part  of  the  lots  auctioned  off  that  year  be- 
longed to  the  school  section,  Number  16,  which  is  in  the 
heart  of  Chicago.  Most  of  these  lots  sold  for  about  $6.72 
per  acre,  bringing  a  total  of  about  $38,000  to  the  school 
fund.  Fortunately  for  us  who  now  live  in  Chicago  most 
of  the  lots  were  sold  on  time  and  many  of  them  were  not 
paid  for  and  came  back  to  the  school  board. 

There  was  a  regular  craze  for  lots.  Prices  rose  so 
rapidly  that  no  one  could  keep  track  of  them.  The  lot 
upon  which  the  Northwestern  University  building  is  now 
located,  at  Lake  and  Dearborn  streets,  was  sold  in  1829  by 
raffle  at  twenty-five  cents  a  chance.  In  1830  it  was  traded 
for  an  Indian  pony.  In  1831  it  was  rated  as  worth  $1.25. 
In  1832  it  was  traded  for  a  pair  of  boots.  In  1833  it  was 
traded  for  a  barrel  of  whisky,  worth  $25.  In  1834  it  was 
traded  for  a  yoke  of  steers  and  a  barrel  of  flour.  In  1835 
it  was  sold  for  $500  cash.  In  1836  it  was  sold  for  $5,000 
and  the  purchaser  refused  to  part  with  it. 

In  1836  Harriet  Martineau  visited  Chicago  and  wrote  as 
follows  of  it: 

"I  never  saw  a  busier  place.  It  was  but  a  squalid  town 
of  insignificant  houses  that  sat  jauntily  in  the  muck  of  the 
prairie,  but  the  streets  were  as  crowded  as  London.  Land 
sales  were  held  on  every  block,  and  everybody  hurried  from 
one  to  another,  fearing  to  miss  the  bargains.  A  negro 
dressed  in  scarlet,  bearing  a  red  flag  and  riding  a  white 
horse  with  scarlet  housings,  dashed  through  the  town  and 
announced  the  times  of  sale.  Crowds  flocked  around  him. 
The  gentlemen  of  our  party  were  hailed  from  the  shop  doors 

168 


with  offers  of  farms,  land  lots,  water  lots,  town  sites,  timber 
claims.  The  immediate  occasion  of  excitement  was  the 
sale  of  $2,000,000  worth  of  lots  along  the  projected  canal. 
Wild  land  along  that  undug  ditch  was  selling  for  more 
than  the  finest  land  in  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk,  where  an 
inestimable  amount  of  traffic  was  then  being  carried  on. 
These  speculators  in  Chicago  were  not  sharpers  or  gam- 
blers, but  hard-headed  business  men.  It  was  remarkable 
to  find  such  an  assemblage  of  cultivated,  refined  and  wealthy 
people  living  in  the  rudest  houses  on  the  edge  of  that  wild 
prairie." 

In  March,  1837,  the  city  was  given  a  charter  and  W.  B. 
Ogden  was  elected  to  be  the  first  mayor.  The  population 
that  year  was  given  as  4,149. 

The  Indians  had  departed.  They  had  signed  away  their 
title  to  the  lands  and  agreed  to  go  to  the  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. In  1835  they  held  their  last  war  dance  and  built 
their  last  council-fire  in  Chicago.  Judge  J.  D.  Caton,  who 
at  the  time  was  a  young  lawyer  in  the  village,  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  this  last  scene : 

"It  was  in  August,  1835,  that  the  Pottawatomies  danced 
their  last  war  dance  in  Chicago.  Certain  risks  were  taken 
in  permitting  them  to  dance,  but  the  officer  in  command  at 
the  fort  feared  also  to  refuse  them.  The  garrison  was 
under  arms  on  the  parade  ground  at  Michigan  avenue  and 
the  river,  ostensibly  to  do  the  braves  honor,  but  in  reality 
to  be  in  readiness  for  trouble  should  sorrow,  excitement  and 
bad  whisky  prove  too  much  for  the  Indian's  self-control. 

"The  braves  assembled  at  the  bark  council  house  after 
hours  in  their  tepees  spent  in  making  their  savage  toilets. 
All  were  naked  except  for  a  strip  of  cloth  about  the  loins, 
but  their  bodies  were  covered  with  elaborate  designs  in 
brilliant  paints.  Foreheads,  cheeks  and  noses  were  lined 
with  curved  stripes  of  vermilion  edged  with  black  points, 
that  gave  a  diabolical  expression  to  their  faces.  The  long, 
coarse,  black  hair  was  gathered  into  scalp-locks  and  dec- 

169 


orated  with  colored  hawk  and  eagle  feathers  extending  down 
the  back  to  the  ground.  The  braves  were  armed  with 
war  clubs  and  tomahawks  and  were  led  by  musicians  who 
kept  up  a  hideous,  rythmic  din  by  beating  on  hollow  vessels 
with  sticks. 

"They  advanced,  not  by  marching,  but  by  a  continuous 
dance.  Proceeding  westward  along  the  north  bank  of  the 
river  they  crossed  the  eighty-foot  slough  at  Market  street 
and  the  North  Branch,  on  swaying  foot  bridges,  thence 
along  the  west  bank  to  Lake  street,  where  a  log  bridge 
spanned  the  South  Branch.  They  were  now  just  below 
the  windows  of  the  Sauganash  House,  which  stood  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  Lake  and  Market,  where  the  Republican 
Wigwam  was  afterwards  built  and  where  Lincoln  was  nom- 
inated for  the  presidency  twenty-five  years  later. 

"The  dance,  which  never  stopped,  consisted  of  jerks, 
leaps  and  unnatural  distortions,  all  performed  with  light- 
ning-like swiftness,  and  wildcat  grace  and  ferocity.  There 
were  800  braves  in  that  raging  river  of  dusky,  painted 
fiends  which  poured  over  the  bridge  and  flowed  down  Lake 
street  to  the  fort.  They  were  frothing  at  the  mouth ;  many 
had  been  wounded  by  flying  tomahawks  and  war  clubs,  and 
blood  mingled  with  dust,  paint  and  sweat,  but  the  victims 
were  unconscious  of  their  hurts.  Ladies  at  the  windows 
fainted  as  the  savages  closed  around  the  hotel  to  perform 
extra  exploits.  What  if  this  sham  rage  should  turn  into 
a  real  attack!  How  easy  it  would  have  been  for  these 
Indians  to  have  committed  another  massacre  in  the  helpless 
town !" 

But  no  serious  results  followed.  The  next  day  the  sav- 
ages sadly  turned  away  from  the  Chicago  plain  and  began 
their  march  to  their  new  home  in  the  far  away  Missouri 
country. 

The  time  of  city  building  had  now  come  and  the  newly 
elected  officers  in  1837  began  taking  an  inventory  of  affairs 

170 


and  proposing  plans  for  the  improvement  of  local  condi- 
tions. 

To  provide  for  the  troops  of  children  that  were  already 
filling  the  streets,  a  school  system  was  established.  The 
state  legislature  granted  power  to  the  city  council  to  estab- 
lish and  maintain  common  schools  and  this,  beginning  in 
1837,  has  grown  until  the  present  city  council  makes  pro- 
vision for  about  280,000  children  in  its  buildings  and  passes 
appropriations  for  the  payment  of  nearly  6,000  teachers. 

The  Civil  War  affected  Chicago  as  it  affected  all  the  cities 
of  the  north.  From  her  homes  went  out  thousands  of 
brave  men,  many  of  whom  never  came  back.  The  mothers 
and  wives  and  sisters  of  the  city  formed  relief  bands  and 
sewing  societies,  gathering  supplies  of  medicines,  bandages, 
and  clothing  for  our  boys  at  the  front.  All  this  is  told  in 
the  history  books  and  we  do  not  need  to  repeat  it  here. 
When  the  war  was  over,  when  our  great  commander,  Gen- 
eral Grant,  had  urged,  "Let  us  have  peace,''  and  the  daunt- 
less leader  of  the  gray,  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  had  dis- 
banded and  sent  to  their  homes  the  shattered  ranks  of  the 
Confederacy,  men  everywhere  rejoiced  and  Chicago  began 
a  new  era  of  growth  and  development. 

In  the  midst  of  the  growing  prosperity  of  the  city  there 
came  the  greatest  calamity  that  can  befall  any  populous 
community.  In  a  few  hours  the  streets  which  had  been 
filled  with  trade  and  traffic  were  strewn  with  ruins  and 
debris ;  the  miles  of  stores  and  office  buildings  which  were 
the  pride  of  all  the  citizens  were  smoldering  heaps  of 
ashes.  A  great  fire,  borne  upon  the  wings  of  the  wind, 
swept  the  city  from  near  Twelfth  and  Clinton  streets  to 
Fullerton  avenue,  taking  everything  between  the  rivers  and 
the  lake.  It  began  upon  the  night  of  October  8,  1871,  it  is 
said,  by  the  overturning  of  a  lamp  in  a  cow-shed.  It  was 
Sunday  evening  and  the  city  was  unprepared  for  the 
emergency.  All  night  long,  all  day  long,  and  yet  another 
night  and  a  day  the  red  flames  shot  up  so  high  they  were 

171 


visible  to  a  distance  of  one  hundred  fifty  miles  and  the 
stifling  smoke  drove  the  panic  stricken  and  homeless  people 
from  one  refuge  to  another. 

The  fire  department  was  assisted  by  the  fire  departments 
from  other  cities,  some  of  them  coming  from  as  far  away 
as  the  city  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  but  all  could  do  nothing 
against  the  destroying  demon  of  flame.  It  burned  itself  out, 
then  as  if  satisfied,  died  away  and  disappeared.  Behind  was 
left  two  thousand  acres  of  desolate,  smoking  ruins  and  more 
than  seventy  thousand  people  whose  homes  had  gone  up 
in  the  fire  and  smoke. 

It  was  a  terrific  blow  coming  with  the  suddenness  of 
assassination  and  the  city  by  the  lake  staggered  under  the 
blow.  Nearly  $200,000,000  of  her  gathered  wealth,  about 
a  third  of  all  the  estimated  wealth  of  the  city,  had  disap- 
peared, and  her  business  had  been  wiped  out.  But,  rousing 
from  the  catastrophe,  she  put  forth  new  strength,  as  one 
rousing  from  a  sleep,  and  with  the  aid  of  all  the  world  that 
laid  its  contributions  at  her  door  in  a  noble  spirit  of  philan- 
thropy, upon  a  scale  never  known  before,  she  began  build- 
ing larger  and  better  than  ever  before. 

No  one  who  walks  today  from  the  Rock  Island  depot  to 
Lincoln  Park,  through  the  region  of  large  buildings  tower- 
ing to  the  height  of  fourteen,  twenty  and  even  thirty  stories, 
would  dream  that  here  for  the  distance  of  four  miles  the 
fire  had  left  not  a  building  standing  and  foundations  had 
to  be  laid  anew  for  every  structure.  It  is  a  magnificent 
monument  to  the  endurance  and  persistence  of  man  and  a 
fine  illustration  of  that  Chicago  spirit  which  says  "I  will." 

One  of  the  first  and  most  serious  problems  that  confronted 
the  new  city  council  in  1837  was  the  providing  for  a  whole- 
some and  sufficient  supply  of  fresh  water.  Perhaps  a  short 
sketch  of  the  inauguration  and  development  of  the  water 
system  of  the  city  may  be  interesting  in  this  place. 

THE  CHICAGO  WATER  SYSTEM  was  begun  in  1834, 
when  the  village  board  paid  $95.50  for  digging  a  well  for  the 

172 


use  of  the  public.  This  well  was  sunk  at  what  is  now  the 
corner  of  Cass  and  Michigan  streets.  The  supply  from  the 
well  was  not  as  good  as  from  the  lake.  Water  was  hauled  by 
wagon  or  barrel  and  sold  from  house  to  house  or  each  one 
provided  his  own  means  of  transportation.  In  1836  the 
state  legislature  incorporated  the  Chicago  Hydraulic  Com- 
pany for  the  purpose  of  supplying  to  the  people  a  whole- 
some and  plentiful  supply  of  fresh  water. 

This  Hydraulic  company  began  furnishing  water  to  the 
city  in  1840.  It  built  a  tank  25  by  25  by  8  feet  at  the  corner 
of  Lake  and  Michigan  streets.  The  top  of  the  tank  was 
about  eighty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake.  A  twenty-five 
horse  power  engine  was  installed  and  the  tank  was  connected 
with  the  lake  by  a  pipe  which  extended  one  hundred  fifty  feet 
from  the  shore.  About  two  miles  of  wooden  pipe  was  laid 
for  distribution.  This  did  not  supply  more  than  about  one- 
fifth  of  the  people.  Most  of  the  town  was  still  served  by 
the  water  wagon.  The  population  was  increasing  very 
rapidly  and  the  need  of  an  adequate  supply  began  to  be 
severely  felt.  In  1852  the  city  took  over  the  franchises  of 
the  Hydraulic  company  and  laid  plans  for  a  better  system 
of  water  works,  but  it  was  not  until  1854  that  the  new 
system  was  put  into  operation. 

By  the  plan  of  1854  a  pumping  station  was  erected  at 
Chicago  avenue  (the  present  pumping  location),  and  a  pipe 
thirty  inches  in  diameter  was  extended  a  short  distance 
from  the  shore.  Three  stand-pipes  were  erected,  one  at 
LaSalle  and  Adams  streets,  one  at  Morgan  and  Monroe 
and  the  third  at  Chicago  avenue  and  Sedgwick  street. 
These  stand-pipes  were  connected  with  the  pumping  sta- 
tion by  iron  pipes.  The  first  iron  pipes  for  distribution 
purposes  were  laid  in  1852;  the  population  at  that  time 
was  about  30,000.  These  three  reservoirs  were  in  use,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  until  1876.  In  1858  two  new  reservoirs 
were  built,  holding  about  half  a  million  gallons  each'. 

At  the  close  of  1862  there  were  one  hundred  five  miles 

173 


of  iron  water  pipe  in  use.  The  population  was  then  about 
115,000. 

In  1863  the  legislature  gave  permission,  and  Congress 
approved  it,  to  build  tunnels,  or  to  use  such  other  means 
as  might  be  necessary,  for  obtaining  water  from  the  lake. 
Under  this  permission  the  first  tunnel  under  the  lake  was 
begun,  in  March,  1864,  and  completed  in  just  three  years. 
A  crib  was  erected  two  miles  from  the  shore  northeast 
from  the  Chicago  avenue  pumping  station  and  a  tunnel, 
five  feet  in  diameter,  connected  these  two  points.  The  iron 
distributing  pipe  had  grown  by  this  time  to  one  hundred 
seventy-five  miles. 

In  1872  a  second  tunnel  was  run  from  the  two-mile  crib, 
forty-six  feet  south  of  the  first  tunnel  and  parallel  with  it, 
to  the  shore  connecting  with  the  Chicago  avenue  station 
and  thence  extending  to  Twenty-second  street  and  Ashland 
avenue.  The  distance  is  31,419  feet  and  the  tunnel  is  seven 
feet  in  diameter.  This  tunnel  was  completed  in  1874,  mak- 
ing a  connection  in  all  with  four  hundred  sixteen  miles  of 
iron  service  pipe  for  a  population  of  over  300,000  people. 

From  1876  to  1880  brick  tunnels  were  built  under  the 
river  at  various  points  and  thirty-six  inch  mains  run  through 
them  to  connect  the  various  stations.  In  1886-7  a  third 
tunnel  was  built  extending  from  the  Chicago  avenue  station 
to  the  breakwater  where  a  crib  was  erected  for  the  pur- 
pose of  relieving  the  two-mile  crib  when  endangered  by  ice. 
This  tunnel  has  not  been  used  much  because  it  is  too  near 
the  shore. 

A  fourth  tunnel  and  a  third  crib  were  built  in  1888-92. 
It  reaches  out  four  miles  into  the  lake  to  the  east  of  Twelfth 
street;  it  is  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  diameter  and  extends 
under  the  lake  to  the  distance  of  34,339  feet,  connecting 
with  the  Park  Row  pumping  station.  From  this  station  two 
land  tunnels  extend,  one,  seven  feet  in  diameter,  running 
to  Peck  court,  thence  northwest  to  Desplaines  street,  thence 
to  Harrison  street  pumping  station.    A  second  runs  to  the 

174 


Fourteenth  street  pumping  station.  Various  other  short 
connecting  tunnels  were  built. 

In  1889,  by  annexation,  Hyde  Park  and  the  town  of 
Lake  became  a  part  of  the  city  with  their  water  system. 
This  consisted  of  a  tunnel  reaching  about  a  mile  out  into  the 
lake  to  a  crib,  and  a  pumping  station  at  Sixty-eighth  street. 
The  city  extended  this  lake  tunnel  to  the  distance  of  two 
miles  and  erected  a  new  crib  and  extended  the  land  tunnels 
so  that  most  of  the  city  south  of  Thirty-ninth  street  is  sup- 
plied through  this  Sixty-eighth  street  crib.  At  the  same 
time  Lake  View  became  a  part  of  the  city  with  an  unfinished 
tunnel  on  hand.  This  tunnel  was  completed  by  the  city 
extending  to  a  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  shoie  and  a 
new  crib  was  erected. 

Other  annexations  brought  the  towns  of  Washington 
Heights,  Norwood  Park,  Rogers  Park  and  Cicero  into  the 
city.  The  last  two  are  still  supplied  by  a  system  operated 
by  a  private  corporation.  Washington  "Heights  is  supplied 
by  a  pumping  station  which  draws  its  water  from  an 
artesian  well,  1,350  feet  deep.  Norwood  Park  is  also  sup- 
plied from  a  well  1,600  feet  deep. 

In  1896-99  a  still  greater  supply  of  water  was  demanded 
and  a  new  tunnel  and  crib  were  built.  This  is  known  as 
the  Carter  Harrison  crib.  The  lake  tunnel  reaching  this 
crib  starts  at  Oak  street  shaft  and  extends  14,033  feet  from 
the  shore.  It  is  ten  feet  in  diameter.  From  the  shaft  one 
land  tunnel,  ten  feet  in  diameter,  extends  to  Green  and 
Grand  avenue,  8,666  feet.  From  here  one  branch  runs  to 
Central  Park  avenue  and  Fillmore  street,  a  distance  of 
19,856  feet ;  a  second  branch  runs  to  Springfield  avenue  and 
Bloomingdale  road,  22,184  feet.  The  last  sections  of  these 
tunnels  were  completed  in  1900. 

Besides  these  various  tunnels  connecting  with  the  lake 
cribs  there  are  seventeen  tunnels  under  the  rivers.  In  1904 
there  were  nineteen  hundred  seventy-eight  miles  of  water 
mains  and  thirty-seven  miles  of  lake  tunnels,  with  five  cribs 

175 


and  ten  pumping  stations.  The  entire  system  is  estimated 
to  have  cost  the  city  about  $36,000,000. 

The  end  is  not  yet.  As  we  write  these  pages  scores  of 
men  are  at  work,  night  and  day,  extending  the  tunnels  both 
under  land  and  water  trying  to  solve  more  completely  the 
same  problem  that  faced  our  fathers  in  1837. 

THE  CHICAGO  SEWERAGE  SYSTEM.  When  a  tol- 
erable supply  of  water  was  furnished  only  one  side  of  the 
problem  had  been  attacked.  Another  and  in  some  ways  a 
much  more  serious  question  concerned  the  disposal  of  the 
waste  matter, — the  slops  and  garbage, — the  sewage  of  the 
city.  We  shall  be  interested  then  in  the  manner  in  which  this 
problem  was  attacked  and  has  been  pushed  forward  toward 
its  final  solution. 

No  systematic  efforts  were  made  to  care  for  the  sewage 
of  Chicago  until  1855.  We  remember  that  the  city  took 
over  the  franchises  of  the  Hydraulic  Water  company  in  1852 
and  began  furnishing  water  under  the  new  city  system  in 
1854.  Up  to  this  time  the  sewage  had  been  disposed  of 
in  the  primitive  fashion  of  dumping  it  out  into  the  street, 
into  gutters  or  the  rivers,  or  into  cesspools  or  wherever 
and  by  whatever  means  it  might  be  put  out  of  the  way. 
Some  effort  had  been  made  in  the  business  parts  of  the 
city  to  place  wooden  box-pipes  under  ground  for  the  pur- 
pose of  conveying  the  sewage  to  the  river,  but  it  was  a  very 
inadequate  system  and  very  limited  in  its  application.  But 
with  the  coming  of  a  large  population  and  with  the  advent 
of  a  modernized  water  system  there  became  apparent  a 
need  for  a  better  system  of  taking  care  of  the  waste. 
The  epidemics  of  cholera  and  fevers  that  swept  the  city  of 
a  large  part  of  its  population  at  various  times  as  well  as 
the  frightfully  high  death  rate  made  some  plan  imperative. 

In  February,  1855,  the  legislature,  at  the  request  of  citi- 
zens of  Chicago,  created  a  board  of  sewerage  commissioners. 
This  board  went  to  work  at  once,  but  much  time  was  needed 
for  investigation  and  surveying  and  study.  Mr.  Chesbrough, 

176 


an  engineer  from  Boston,  was  employed  as  the  official  en- 
gineer. In  our  later  developments  of  the  sewerage  and 
drainage  system  we  are  carrying  out  the  suggestions  and 
recommendations  of  Mr.  Chesbrough.  He  was  counted  the 
leading  sanitary  engineer  in  the  United  States.  It  has  been 
worth  millions  of  dollars  to  Chicago  to  have  had  such  a 
man  at  the  head  of  her  sewer  system  in  its  beginnings.  The 
plan  adopted  was  to  fill  the  streets  in  many  parts  of  the 
city,  raising  the  houses  to  street  grade,  in  order  that  sewers 
might  be  built  and  covered.  In  many  places  even  then  the 
sewers  were  exposed  above  ground  for  many  blocks. 
Sewers,  about  five  feet  in  diameter,  were  to  be  built  of 
brick,  in  most  cases  on  every  other  street,  leading  from  the 
main  streets  to  the  river.  Into  these  large  sewers  smaller 
ones,  made  of  tile,  were  to  lead  from  side  streets,  houses, 
etc.  It  was  the  plan  that  all  the  sewers  should  empty  into  the 
rivers.  Until  the  extensive  annexations  began  there  were 
not  more  than  about  four  sewers  in  all  the  city  that  emptied 
into  the  lake. 

It  was  not  long  until  it  began  to  be  apparent  to  Mr. 
Chesbrough  that  trouble  was  in  store  for  the  city  because 
of  the  extreme  pollution  of  the  rivers.  From  the  very  first 
he  had  recommended  as  the  only  adequate  and  lasting 
system  of  sewerage  the  cutting  of  a  canal  through  the 
divide  to  the  Desplaines  river.  But  the  expense  involved 
made  this  an  impossible  proposition.  A  plan  for  cleansing 
the  river  was  then  recommended.  It  was  proposed  to  erect 
pumping  stations  and  build  conduits  from  the  lake  to  the 
branches  of  the  rivers  and  by  pumping  great  quantities  of 
fresh  water  into  the  rivers  to  force  the  sewage  out  into 
the  lake,  thus  cleansing  the  rivers.  This  plan  was  put  into 
operation  on  the  North  Side  and  was  kept  up  until  very 
recent  years.  It  helped  to  cleanse  the  river,  but,  of  course, 
it  carried  the  pollution  out  into  the  lake.  In  1848  the  Illinois 
and  Michigan  canal  was  completed.  It  was  only  a  shallow 
ditch,  four  feet  of  water,  but  it  reached  from  Bridgeport 

177 


to  the  Illinois  river  at  LaSalle.  The  builders  of  the  canal 
had  great  difficulty  to  get  sufficient  water  to  fill  the  canal 
and  keep  it  full.  To  assist  in  this  pumps  were  erected  at 
Bridgeport  and  water  was  pumped  out  of  the  river  for  the 
canal.  This  was  a  decided  advantage  for  the  city,  but 
it  was  only  a  partial  relief,  as  the  amount  pumped  was  at 
no  time  sufficient  to  keep  the  river  clear  and  many  months 
of  the  year  the  pumps  were  not  working  at  all  because 
the  canal  was  not  in  use.  In  1862  the  effect  of  the  sewage 
upon  the  drinking  water  began  to  be  generally  noticed 
and  it  became  a  matter  of  great  importance  to  find  a  remedy. 
You  remember  that  it  was  at  this  time  that  the  first  tunnel 
was  considered.  The  first  tunnel  under  the  lake  was  com- 
pleted in  1867,  the  second  in  1872.  The  city  also  joined 
with  the  state  in  an  effort  to  deepen  the  Illinois  and  Mich- 
igan canal,  hoping  that  some  relief  might  be  found  in  that 
quarter.  The  canal  was  dug  deeper  at  an  expense  of  nearly 
$3,000,000  and  larger  pumps  were  installed  at  Bridgeport 
and  they  were  kept  pumping  all  the  time  for  the  rielief  of 
the  river.  In  spite  of  it  all  the  river  was  rank  and  smelled 
to  heaven. 

In  this  connection  it  is  worth  noting  that  from  a  very 
early  day  a  great  effort  was  made  to  get  the  national  gov- 
ernment to  build  a  ship  canal  from  the  lake  to  the  Mississippi 
deep  enough  to  permit  war  vessels  to  come  from  the  gulf 
to  the  lake.  Chicago  was  intensely  interested  in  this  scheme. 
But  those  of  us  who  have  read  the  history  of  the  political 
parties  and  factions  of  the  times  know  how  bitterly  the  sub- 
ject of  internal  improvements  was  fought.  Upon  this  ground 
over  and  over  again  the  bill  for  a  ship  canal  was  beaten. 
As  early  as  1847  a  great  national  convention  was  held  in 
Chicago  to  consider  the  matter  of  national  aid  to  canals. 
Chicago  at  that  time  had  a  population  of  only  about  16,000 
people,  yet  she  accommodated  a  convention  of  20,000  and 
made  holiday  for  them  with  processions  and  skyrockets 
and  receptions.    It  was  a  great  gathering.    Nineteen  states 

178 


had  delegates  at  this  convention.  Among  these  delegates 
were  such  men  as  Horace  Greely,  Thurlow  Weed,  Thomas 
Corwin,  Schuyler  Colfax  and  Abraham  Lincoln.  But  it  was 
of  no  avail ;  Congress  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  all  such  internal 
improvements. 

From  1855  until  1862  about  55  miles  of  sewers  had 
been  laid.  From  that  time  the  growth  has  been  steady  and 
large,  providing  now  more  than  1,700  miles,  of  which 
more  than  six  hundred  miles  are  of  brick.  Owing  to  the 
lay  of  the  land  it  is  impossible  to  construct  sewers  for  any 
great  distance  and  have  the  water  carried  forward  by 
gravity.  The  necessary  fall  soon  sinks  the  sewer  too  deep 
in  the  ground  for  operation.  To  overcome  this  pumping 
stations  have  been  erected  at  convenient  places  and  the 
sewage  has  been  lifted  from  one  level  to  another  and 
then  carried  forward  again. 

The  drainage  channel  connecting  Lake  Michigan  with  the 
Desplaines  river  was  made  for  the  immediate  purpose  of 
providing  for  the  disposal  of  the  Chicago  sewage.  It  is 
hoped  that  at  some  future  time  it  may  be  one  section  of 
a  great  ship  waterway  from  the  lakes  to  the  gulf.  This 
channel  was  authorized  by  the  legislature  in  1889  and  the 
Sanitary  District  was  organized  with  a  total  area  of  one 
hundred  eighty-five  square  miles.  The  board  of  nine  trus- 
tees are  elected  by  the  people  of  the  district  and  are  given 
power  to  levy  taxes  upon  the  district  to  meet  the  expenses 
of  construction. 

Work  was  commenced  in  September,  1892,  and  the  water 
from  the  lake  was  turned  into  the  canal  on  the  second  of 
January,  1900,  when,  for  the  first  time  since  the  closing 
of  the  great  ice  age,  the  waters  of  the  lakes  found  their 
way  to  the  gulf.  The  cost  of  the  canal,  which  is  one  of 
the  most  notable  engineering  feats  in  the  history  of  this 
continent,  has  been  about  $50,000,000.  It  cuts  through  the 
divide  of  solid  limestone  and  drift  that  formed  the  ancient 
barrier  between  the  lake  and  the  Desplaines  valley.    Across 

179 


this  divide  Marquette  and  LaSalle  and  the  wandering  fur 
traders  carried  their  canoes,  writing  down  in  their  diaries 
that  a  canal  should  be  cut  connecting  the  Chicago  and  the 
Desplaines  river.  The  ideals  that  one  man  sees  dimly  in 
visions  others  coming  after  must  make  real  as  ever,  thus, 
*  *  *  *  "Through  the  ages  one  increasing  purpose  runs, 
And  the  thoughts  of  men  are  widened  by  the  process  of 
the  suns." 

Chicago  is  working  away  as  rapidly  as  possible  to  com- 
plete a  system  of  intercepting  sewers  which  shall  eventually 
carry  all  the  sewage  of  this  great  city  out  toward  the 
Mississippi,  being  purified  and  made  harmless  by  the  mil- 
lions of  gallons  of  pure  water  flowing  through  the  lake. 

THE  ELEVATED  ROADS.  When  the  World's  Fair 
was  located  at  Chicago  it  was  seen  that  the  transportation 
facilities  were  not  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  people  who 
would  come  to  the  city.  The  railroad  and  street  car  lines 
at  once  made  provision  for  extending  their  service.  But 
the  innovation  introduced  was  the  South  Side  L,  reaching 
from  the  business  part  of  the  city  to  the  Fair  Grounds. 
This  roadway  is  elevated  upon  steel  supports  so  as  to  be 
far  above  the  traffic  of  the  streets  carried  on  below.  It  did 
splendid  service  with  its  little  dummy  locomotives  for  years, 
when  finally  the  steam  power  was  changed  for  electric 
power.  Since  the  inauguration  of  the  South  Side  L  other 
companies  have  been  formed  and  similar  roads  have  been 
constructed  reaching  to  the  extreme  west  and  north  sides 
of  the  city. 

THE  CHICAGO  SUBWAY.  Not  only  overhead,  but 
underground  as  well,  have  lines  of  transportation  been 
sought  to  relieve  the  crowded  condition  of  the  streets.  Some 
five  or  six  years  ago  permission  was  given  to  the  Illinois 
Telephone  Company  to  construct  tunnels  or  subways  under 
the  streets  of  the  city  through  which  telephone,  telegraph  and 
service  pipes  might  be  carried  and  also  to  serve  as  a  means 
of  transporting  freight.    Up  to  the  present  time  there  have 

180 


been  completed  and  put  into  operation  over  forty  miles  of 
this  underground  railroad.  It  has  entrances  leading  from 
nearly  every  large  business  block  in  the  heart  of  the  city 
and  daily  thousands  of  tons  of  freight  are  moved  to  and 
fro  under  ground  all  unknown  by  the  pedestrians  above. 
These  tunnels  are  from  nine  to  fourteen  feet  in  diameter 
and  the  cars  and  motors  are  made  to  correspond  with  these 
dimensions. 

We  have  wandered  far  away  from  the  auction  grounds, 
where  lots  were  being  sold  at  $6.72  per  acre,  but  at  no  time 
have  we  gone  beyond  the  city  and  its  growth.  Of  course 
with  the  growth  in  numbers  must  have  come  growth  in 
territory.  There  have  been  fifteen  different  extensions  of 
territory  since  the  first  city  charter  was  received  in  1837. 
Some  of  these  have  been  made  by  city  ordinance  and  some 
by  votes  of  the  people  both  of  the  city  and  territory 
to  be  annexed.  The  area  has  grown  until  the  city  is  now 
twenty-six  miles  from  north  to  south  and  about  nine  miles 
from  east  to  west,  covering  a  total  area  of  one  hundred 
ninety  miles.  Within  this  area  dwell  and  work  side  by  side 
the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  young  and  old,  the  learned  and 
the  unlearned.  Here,  crowded  close  together,  yet  scarcely 
seeing  each  other,  are  prodigality  upon  one  hand  and  naked- 
ness upon  the  other;  those  who  turn  with  weariness  from 
loaded  tables  and  those  whose  pinched  faces  and  emaciated 
limbs  tell  the  story  of  hunger  and  want  and  exposure.  Here 
are  the  joyous  and  gay  so  full  of  laughter  that  they  cannot 
see  the  sad  and  decrepit  who  try  to  creep  away  to  hide  their 
misery  in  dark  corners.  Over  against  the  great  array  of 
churches  and  charitable  institutions  scattering  their  sun- 
shine and  inspiring  hope,  hang  the  great  clouds  of  crime 
covering  the  abodes  of  meanness  and  hatred  and  sin. 

Yet  it  is  a  great  city  bearing  upon  its  forefront  the  in- 
vincible motto,  "I  will."  There  is  no  undertaking  too 
vast  for  its  consideration,  no  worthy  enterprise  which  it 
will  not  dare  attempt.    The  great  waves  of  prosperity  that 

i8i 


have  come  upon  it  have  seemed  to  create  within  it  a 
spirit  of  selfishness  and  heartlessness.  But  this  is  after 
all  only  apparent.  Let  any  great  demand  stir  its  depths 
and  no  city  in  all  the  world  will  respond  more  gloriously 
to  the  call  of  duty  and  sacrifice  than  our  own  Chicago. 


182 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A  LAND  FLOWING  WITH  MILK  AND  HONEY 

When  Joliet  and  Marquette  pushed  their  canoes  up  the 
Illinois  river  on  their  return  voyage  from  the  Mississippi 
we  remember  that  the  Good  Father  wrote  in  his  diary  that 
they  had  seen  nothing  equal  to  the  valley  of  the  Illinois, 
"as  to  its  fertility  of  soil,  its  prairie  and  its  woods ;  its  cattle, 
elk,  deer  and  bustards,  ducks  and  beavers."  These  were 
only  a  part  of  nature's  blessings  bestowed  upon  this  favored 
region.  Since  the  coming  of  the  white  man  the  gifts  of 
nature  have  been  utilized  and  the  great  industrial  forces 
have  been  marshaled  to  compete  for  the  markets  of  the 
world. 

The  primary  and  essential  industry  in  all  times  must 
be  agriculture.  Bread  and  meat  are  necessary  for  existence. 
The  farmer  is  the  one  upon  whose  broad  shoulders  rests  the 
whole  superstructure  of  civilization.  Of  about  33,000,000 
acres  of  land  in  Illinois  there  are  about  28,000,000  acres, 
85  per  cent,  in  actual  cultivation.  The  census  tables  of 
1900  show  that  Illinois  ranked  first  among  all  the  states  in 
the  value  of  her  crops.  Wheat,  oats,  corn,  hay,  rye,  barley, 
and  the  smaller  fruits  and  vegetables  are  grown  in  all 
parts  of  the  state,  while  in  apple  orchards  the  state  ranks 
third. 

When  we  get  below  the  hoe  and  the  plow  we  find  the 
great  underlying  strata  of  coal  covering  an  area  of  about 

183 


37>cxx)  square  miles.  Out  of  one  hundred  two  counties  in 
the  state  coal  is  found  in  fifty-four.  There  are  almost 
one  thousand  mines  in  active  operation  and  the  annual 
product  reaches  the  enormous  sum  of  about  40,000,000 
tons.  We  have  coal  enough  under  our  feet  to  keep  all 
the   furnaces  of  the   world   going   for   generations. 

The  coming  of  the  railroads  alone  made  possible  the 
development  of  the  farms  and  the  opening  of  coal  mines. 
Without  means  for  transportation  the  most  prodigal  returns 
from  the  soil  and  the  output  of  the  mines  would  be  of 
little  value.  To  these  great  networks  of  steel  rails  with 
their  puffing,  rumbling  trains  of  freight  cars  we  must  give 
much  of  the  credit  for  the  prosperity  and  comforts  we  enjoy. 
The  railroad  corporations  have  not  been  slow  upon  their 
part  to  see  the  opportunities  for  getting  wealth  by  moving 
and  distributing  the  products  of  the  state.  We  have  had 
the  story  of  the  long  struggle  which  brought  the  first  roads 
into  use.  Since  that  the  number  has  increased  until  it  is 
difficult  to  enumerate  them.  Chicago  has  become  the  great- 
est railroad  center  in  the  world.  The  total  miles  of  railroad 
tracks  now  in  use  in  the  state  is  approximately  20,000,  with 
yearly  increases.  The  wages  paid  to  employes  upon  these 
roads  reach  the  startling  sum  of  about  $74,000,000  a  year. 
The  number  of  people  employed  by  these  roads  in  the  state 
(116,000)  surpasses  the  muster  roll  in  many  European 
armies. 

In  manufacturing  industries  Illinois  has  developed  so 
rapidly  that  she  is  in  a  fair  way  within  a  very  few  years 
to  take  her  place  at  the  head  of  all  the  states.  She  now 
leads  in  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements,  steam 
cars,  distilled  liquors,  watches,  the  meat  packing  products 
and  several  minor  articles.  In  the  manufacture  of  fur- 
niture, clothing  and  soaps  only  one  state  surpasses  us.  In 
the  production  of  steel  and  iron  only  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio 
lead  us.  Besides  these  great  industries  there  are  num- 
berless  smaller,   but   important  plants   from   which   come 

184 


train  loads  of  wagons,  carriages,  buckets,  locomotives,  flour, 
chemicals,  leather  and  other  products.  It  is  a  busy  state 
and  the  smoke  of  one  factory  may  be  seen  from  the  windows 
of  another  in  continuous  succession  from  Waukegan  to 
Cairo. 

With  all  this  development  of  factory  life  has  come  a 
great  increase  in  the  number  of  people  that  have  made 
their  homes  in  the  large  towns  and  cities.  When  our  present 
constitution  went  into  effect  the  population  of  Illinois  was 
about  two  and  a  half  millions.  It  is  now  about  five  millions. 
Then  about  one-seventh  of  the  total  population  was  gathered 
in  Cook  County;  now  about  two-fifths  is  in  Cook  County. 
All  the  languages  of  the  earth  may  be  heard  in  this  great 
cosmopolitan  city  by  the  lake.  More  than  seventy-five  per 
cent  of  the  children  of  Chicago  have  foreign  born  fathers 
and  mothers.  Greece  and  Italy,  Russia,  China  and  Japan, 
Norway,  Sweden,  the  Netherlands,  Germany  and  Ireland 
have  emptied  out  from  their  crowded  borders  the  shiploads 
of  restless  humanity  that  have  sought  shelter,  employment 
and  homes  in  this  great  city. 

The  press  and  the  school  have  striven  hard  to  keep  pace 
with  the  growing  population  and  the  rapid  industrial  devel- 
opments. There  are  published  in  the  state  nearly  eighteen 
hundred  papers  and  magazines  reaching  an  aggregate  of 
over  10,000,000  copies  per  issue.  What  a  world  of — 
knowledge ! 

The  public  schools  have  increased  until  they  enroll  a 
million  pupils  with  twenty-eight  thousand  teachers,  with  an 
increasing  roster  every  year.  The  total  expenditure  for  all 
these  schools  is  about  $23,000,000  per  year.  Besides  the 
public  schools  there  are  over  sixty  incorporated  schools  and 
colleges  and  thousands  of  private  schools,  unnumbered  and 
unrecorded,  all  working  at  the  selfsame  problem, — the 
spreading  of  greater  intelligence  and  a  better  morality 
among  the  people  of  the  state. 

Surely  this  is  a  state  of  which  one  may  be  proud.     It 

185 


is  well  worth  while  to  be  one  of  the  5,000,000  citizens  of 
Illinois.  It  is  an  inheritance  worth  fighting  for,  worth 
dying  for.  So  thought  our  fathers,  who  came  from  their 
homes  in  great  companies  and  regiments,  every  county 
furnishing  its  contingent,  to  follow  Grant  through  swamp 
and  forest  in  the  Mississippi  campaign,  to  march  with 
Sherman  to  the  sea,  to  lay  their  broken  bodies  in  the 
valleys  or  upon  the  hillsides  of  the  sunny  south  that  we, 
their  children,  might  have  a  country,  one  and  undivided. 
And  so  their  sons  would  do  today  did  an  occasion  call  for  a 
similar  sacrifice. 

ILLINOIS 

By  thy  rivers  gently  flowing, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
O'er  thy  prairies,  verdant  growing, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Comes  an  echo  on  the  breeze, 
Rustling  through  the  leafy  trees, 
And  its  mellow  tones  are  these, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
And  its  mellow  tones  are  these, 

Illinois,  Illinois. 

O'er  wilderness  of  prairies, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Straight  thy  way  and  never  varies, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Till  upon  the  inland  sea 
Stands  thy  great  commercial  tree, 
Turning  all  the  world  to  thee, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Turning  all  the  world  to  thee, 

Illinois,  Illinois. 
186 


When  you  heard  your  country  calling, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
When  the  shot  and  shell  were  falling, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
When  the  Southern  host  withdrew, 
Pitting  Gray  against  the  Blue, 
There  were  none  more  brave  than  you, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
There  were  none  more  brave  than  you, 

Illinois,  Illinois. 

Not  without  thy  wondrous  story, 

.  Illinois,  Illinois, 
Can  be  writ  the  Nation's  glory, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
On  the  record  of  the  years, 
Abr'am  Lincoln's  name  appears, 
Grant  and  Logan  and  our  tears, 

Illinois,  Illinois, 
Grant  and  Logan  and  our  tears, 

Illinois,  Illinois. 


187 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 


CHRONOLOGICAL  INDEX 


1666 — Marquette  arrives  at  Quebec. 
1669 — Marquette  on  Lake  Superior. 
1672 — Joliet  reaches  St.  Ignace. 

1673 — Joliet  and  Marquette  on  the  Mississippi  and  Illinois  rivers. 
1674-5 — Marquette  spends  winter  on  Chicago  river. 
1675 — Marquette  establishes  the  Mission  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception among  the  Kaskaskias. 
1675 — Marquette  dies  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan. 
1678 — La  Salle  at  Niagara. 
1679 — La  Salle  on  the  St.  Joseph  river. 
1680 — La  Salle  on  the  Illinois  with  Tonti. 
1682 — La  Salle  reaches  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 
1683— La  Salle  in  France. 

1684 — La  Salle  sails  for  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi. 
1687 — La  Salle  assassinated  in  Texas. 
1699— Iberville  on  the  Gulf. 

1700— Tonti  and  the  Kaskaskia  Indians  leave  "The  Rock." 
1704 — Bienville  governor  of  Louisiana. 
1710 — Vincennes  established. 
1712 — Crozat  receives  a  grant  of  Louisiana. 
1717 — Law's  Mississippi  scheme  formed. 
1718 — New  Orleans  laid  out. 
1718— Ft.  Chartres  built. 

1720 — Renault  brings  five  hundred  slaves  to  Illinois. 
1722 — The  Mississippi  bubble  bursts. 
1748 — The  Ohio  Company  formed. 
1753 — Washington  sent  to  warn  the  French. 
1754 — French  and  Indian  war  begins. 
1754 — Washington  surrenders  Ft.  Necessity. 
1756— Ft.  Chartres  rebuilt. 
1758 — Ft.  Massac  established  by  the  French. 
1763 — The  French  claims  ceded  to  the  English. 
1765 — The  English  take  possession  of  Illinois. 
1772 — Ft.  Chartres  destroyed  by  the  Mississippi. 
1774 — The  Quebec  bill  passed. 
1775 — The  Revolutionary  War  begins. 
1778-9 — George  Rogers  Clark  conquers  the  Illinois  country. 

188 


1782 — New  Design  settled  by  Americans. 

1783 — All  the  territory  to  the  Mississippi  becomes  the  property  of 
the  United  States. 

1784-6 — Virginia,  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  cede  their  west- 
ern territory  to  the  government. 

1787 — The  Ordinance  for  the  Northwest  Territory. 

1790 — St.  Clair  county  organized. 

1804 — Ft.  Dearborn,  Chicago,  established. 

1809 — Illinois  territory  organized ;  Ninian  Edwards,  Governor. 

1812 — Ft.  Dearborn  massacre  (August  15). 

1812 — First  territorial  legislature  meets  at  Kaskaskia. 

1812 — Organized  counties  increased  to  five. 

1812 — Shadrach  Bond  elected  as  delegate  to  Congress. 

1813 — Preemption  act  for  Illinois  passed  by  Congress. 

1818 — Enabling  act  passed  for  Illinois. 

1818 — Shadrach  Bond  elected  to  be  the  first  governor. 

1818 — Illinois  formally  admitted  to  statehood  (December  3). 

1820 — Eemoval  of  state  offices  to  Vandalia. 

1822-4 — Slavery  agitation. 

1825 — The  first  attempt  at  a  school,  law. 

1827 — Congress  makes  a  grant  of  land  for  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan canal. 

1832— The  Black  Hawk  War. 

1833 — Chicago  incorporated. 

1837 — Springfield  becomes  the  state  capital. 

1837 — Elijah  P.  Lovejoy  assassinated. 

1839 — Northern  Cross  Kailraad  built  by  the  state. 

1840 — The  Mormons  come  to  the  state. 

1844 — Joseph  Smith  killed  in  Carthage  jail. 

1846 — The  Mormons  expelled  from  the  state. 

1846 — Abraham  Lincoln  elected  to  Congress. 

1848 — Illinois  and  Michigan  canal  completed. 

1848 — The  second  State  Constitution  adopted. 

1850 — Congressional  land  grant  for  the  Illinos  Central  Eailroad. 

1854 — State  legislature  establishes  the  office  of  State  Superintend- 
ent of  Public  Instruction. 

1855 — Education  law  passed;  basis  of  the  present  law. 

1857 — Building  of  the  penitentiary  at  Joliet. 

1857 — State  Normal  University  established. 

1858 — The  Lincoln-Douglas  debates. 

1860 — Lincoln  nominated  for  the  presidency  at  Chicago. 

1861 — U.  S.  Grant  takes  command  at  Cairo  (September  4). 

1865 — Lincoln  buried  at  Springfield  (May  5). 

1867 — Illinois  University  established. 

1868 — U.  S.  Grant  nominated  at  Chicago. 

1870 — The  third  State  Constitution  adopted. 

1873 — Women  allowed  to  hold  office  under  the  school  law  and  to 
vote  for  school  officers. 

1889 — Establishment  of  Chicago  Sanitary  District. 

1900 — Chicago  Drainage  canal  opened  (January  2). 

1901 — The  new  apportionment  gives  Illinois  twenty-five  congress- 
men. 


189 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A  WORD  IN  CONCLUSION 

We  have  come  to  the  end  of  our  stories.  In  the  preceding 
pages  we  have  had  before  us  in  outline  the  history  of  Illi- 
nois from  the  time  when  the  Indian  and  buffalo  roamed 
over  its  prairies  and  plashed  through  its  streams  unseen 
and  unknown  by  the  white  man,  until  it  has  taken  its  place 
as  third  in  population  in  the  great  sisterhood  of  states.  We 
have  seen  Chicago,  the  camping  place  of  the  fur-trader,  the 
lonely  winter  home  of  the  dying  missionary,  the  scene  of  a 
bloody  massacre  when  not  more  than  a  half  dozen  roofs  rose 
above  its  sand  hills,  grow  into  a  mighty  city,  second  in 
population  and  industrial  enterprises  among  all  the  cities 
of  the  Union.  We  have  watched  the  counties  come  one  by 
one,  until  they  increased  from  the  single  district  outlined 
by  St.  Clair  to  one  hundred  two  counties,  all  rich  and  pros- 
perous. 

We  have  watched  the  changes  in  laws  and  the  growth  of 
constitutions  from  the  time  when  English  laws  and  English 
juries  first  made  their  appearance  in  the  valley  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi until  we  find  ourselves  living  under  one  of  the  best 
constitutions  and  in  one  of  the  best  governed  common- 
wealths in  America. 

We  have  had  a  few  glimpses  of  the  trials  and  privations 
of  the  early  settlers  who  first  plowed  our  prairie  lands, 
drained  our  swamps  and  felled  our  forests,  and,  knowing 

190 


something  of  these,  we  have  come  to  appreciate  more  highly 
the  opportunities  and  comforts  that  surround  us. 

Our  stories  were  nearly  told  before  we  found  a  railroad 
in  the  Illinois  country,  but  when  we  look  at  a  map  of  the 
state  now  we  see  Chicago,  Peoria,  Decatur,  Danville,  Free- 
port,  and  many  other  cities,  appearing  as  hubs  in  wheels 
surrounded  by  radiating  spokes  which  reach  out  and  out, 
covering  the  entire  surface  of  the  state  with  a  network  of 
iron  rails. 

Illinois  is  not  old  in  years,  yet  when  she  came  into  the 
family  in  1818  there  were  no  sewing  machines  to  make  her 
garments;  there  were  no  mowing  machines  to  reap  her 
harvests;  there  were  no  matches  to  light  her  candles,  nor 
kerosene  to  fill  her  lamps.  The  telegraph,  the  electric  light, 
the  telephone,  the  typewriter  and  the  steam  locomotive  were 
as  undreamed  of  as  are  the  mysteries  of  the  unknown  future 
today. 

How  did  our  fathers  live  in  those  days?  We  can  never 
know  in  full,  but,  seeing  dimly  through  the  occasional  rec- 
ords left  behind,  we  can  imagine  that  their  lives  were  strong 
and  vigorous,  not  all  filled  with  sorrow  and  tears,  but  having 
in  them  much  of  joy  and  sweetness.  They  lived  up  to  their 
opportunities,  setting  an  example  which  challenges  us  to 
our  utmost  endeavor  to  measure  up  to  the  standard  they 
have  left. 

Should  these  stories  inspire  some  of  the  boys  and  girls 
who  read  them  to  seek  for  fuller  sources  of  information,  to 
strive  for  a  high  type  of  usefulness  in  the  city  and  the  state, 
to  a  larger  view  of  life  and  a  desire  for  a  noble  manhood  or 
womanhood,  no  matter  what  the  station  may  be,  the  purpose 
of  their  writing  will  be  fully  justified. 


191 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  T°  MSK  ™°M  WH,CH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

i!!rr!^i^^ct  to  immedtte  recall. 


LD  21A-507n-4,'59 
(Al724sl0)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


